Changes
by whatdoyoulivefor
Summary: AU: The unthinkable happens--Bella gets pregnant. The Cullen family aren't the only ones intrigued. Typical pairings. First fan-fic...rated T for now.
1. Can't Stop This Feeling

_AN: Well, hello lovies. So, I know this is completely AU, and would never in a million years happen, but isn't that the beauty of story-telling? So, this is my first fan-fic, so be gentle. I have a few chapters already written for this story, but I want to get some reviews before I keep posting. If it sucks, tell me. If it's intriguing, tell me! Reviewslove, and I'm all about love!_

_Changes_

**Chapter One: Can't Stop This Feeling**

It had been one glorious month since our wedding. Everything had gone…relatively to plan, but even with a few hiccups, it was beyond anything I had expected. I had been dreading it slightly—it was no secret I wasn't matrimony's number one fan. But I was happily proven to have misplaced my doubts. Edward was perfect, as usual, and somehow I had been lucky enough to look pretty darn good on our wedding day.

The night of the wedding probably went off even better than the wedding itself. That night, I knew Edward was nervous—in fact, he was probably more nervous than I was. I had to repeatedly reassure him that nothing was going to happen to me, especially since Alice had seen our futures beyond that night. We took it slow, but in the end…well, in the end, there was no slowing us down. It was beautiful, and perfect, and something deep within Edward had woken up. I think after all those years of suppressing himself; once he finally got that release there was no stopping it.

We spent every single day together, and within those days we spent every moment we possibly could together. It was kind of like we were introduced to each other all over again. Only, this time he wasn't plotting different ways to kill me; he was plotting different ways to pleasure me. I had never felt more attached, more "at one" with another being until that night. From then on, I knew that nothing would ever be the same with Edward and I. We had reached a whole other level in our relationship; one that transcended anything we could ever imagine. It was as if, after we had been with each other completely, we were just _one_—we were so fine-tuned to each other that we were a force to be reckoned with.

Everyone had noticed the change in our relationship, even people I didn't realize were watching. Charlie commented on how much we had grown with each other, just by being married. Even Rosalie noticed a difference between Edward and I.

One month had passed, and every day that I would wake up in my husband's arms, I knew how blessed I truly was. I finally had experienced something that I imagine is close to complete bliss; for once, nothing was going wrong. I knew just by thinking it, I was probably jinxing the situation, but how could I not think it? To not think it would be like watching the dawn break, but not being able to enjoy the beauty in the creation of a new day.

One particular morning, I woke up with a light shining in my eye. I tried to bury my head farther into Edward's chest, when I realized he was the source of the light. I drew my head back to get a better look. Before me, my husband, _my_ Edward, looked like a diamond held in front of a light, throwing rays of shimmering colors in every direction. This was a sight that was rare but definitely longed for.

I giggled. "Good morning, _sunshine_," I teased. I rolled to lie on my back while Edward propped himself up on his elbow. He traced the side of my face with one, beautiful sparkling finger.

He chuckled. "Good morning to you, too," he said. He leaned forward and lightly kissed my lips. The gesture was awfully tame compared to the experiences we had had last night.

I rubbed my hands over my face, trying to wake myself up further. "Mmm, you're sparkling," I mumbled.

I heard Edward chuckle again as he stroked my hair softly. I looked at the perfect body that was lying next to me. His chest was bare, but at some point during the night he had put a pair of pants on. I ran my hand down his cold chest, feeling every rise and fall of his muscles. The light bounced off of his exposed chest, reflecting over my own skin.

"It's sunny today. Go figure," Edward said as he continued to play with my hair.

"Why do you say that?"

"Well," Edward began, "I had something planned for us today. After all, your birthday is tomorrow…"

My moan cut him off. I removed my hand from his chest and completely rolled over to my back again. I huffed. "Don't remind me," I said bitterly.

"Bella," Edward whispered. He ran his fingers down the side of my face and across my lips. "Don't be mad."

I turned my head and tried my hardest to glare at Edward. It was near impossible—the light that was shining through the windows was not only reflecting off of his skin, but off of his beautiful topaz eyes. "I know what you're doing, mister," I grumbled.

He smiled my favorite crooked smile. "What ever do you mean?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"You're dazzling me, and it's not going to work. I—" but before I could finish my sentence, a wave of pain in my lower abdomen hit me. I moaned, clutching the bottom of my stomach.

"Bella?" Edward asked, alarmed. "Are you okay?"

I tried to speak through the pain. "Yeah, just…some pain…in my stomach," I managed to spit out. Just as fast as the pain hit, it faded away. I sighed. "Whew, that was weird!"

Edward was now sitting up, staring at me with a worried expression. "Are you okay? Do you need something?"

"No, no…I'm good now. Probably something I ate, or something," I said. I sat up and propped myself up against the headboard. Edward moved closer towards me, his hand resting on my covered thigh.

"Are you _sure_?" Edward asked.

I narrowed my eyebrows. "Edward. I'm fine," I said. I ran my hand down his bare arm, and I could feel all of his muscles were strained. He was worried, but I didn't know any other way to tell him I was better. I sighed, trying to distract him. "So, what'd you have planned for today?"

Edward sighed too. He knew we were changing the subject. "Well, I was going to have us spend the day together, but it doesn't look like I'm going to be able to go outside in public much," he said, gesturing towards the sunlight that was streaming through the window.

I smiled. "Who said we still couldn't spend the day together?"

He smiled back; his _teeth_ even sparkled in the sun. "No one said that. What do you want to do?"

Before I could answer, a sudden wave of nausea hit me. I didn't want Edward to see that I was feeling sick. Today was the last day before I turned 19, and I was going to have my fun. "Well, whatever we do, I need to get ready," I said as I threw the covers off of me.

Edward grinned from ear to ear, and I realized that I was completely naked under the covers. I blushed, and pulled them back over me. "Um…could you grab me something to put on?" I asked Edward.

He was still smiling like a fool. "No."

"What? Why not?" My eyes narrowed in confusion and anger.

"Because I want to watch you get up," he said matter-of-factly.

I huffed, and yanked the sheets from their folds. I wrapped the sheet around my body, and got up from bed.

"No fair," Edward mumbled. As I walked over to the bathroom, I turned slightly to look at him.

"That's what you get," I teased. I walked into the bathroom, and shut the door behind me. I let the sheet drop on the floor as I turned on the shower, getting ready to start my day.

As I let the hot water run down face, wetting my hair, something hit me. Black spots started appearing, and I felt so dizzy I had to grab at the side of the shower. I stumbled slightly, dropping the shampoo I was about to use. I felt as if the whole shower was moving in circles, and all I could do was grab something and hold on. Slowly, the shower stopped spinning, but I heard a loud knock at the bathroom door.

"Bella, you okay?" Edward shouted through the door so I could hear him.

I cleared my throat, not wanting Edward to know something was wrong. How did he know anyways? "Uh, yeah…yeah, I'm good. Just dropped the shampoo bottle!" I yelled back.

"Your heartbeat was crazy there for a second," Edward yelled.

So that was it; my heart was racing. "Oh, no I'm fine!" I shouted to Edward. I knew that wouldn't pacify him, but there was no response.

I continued with my shower, praying the wave of dizziness wouldn't hit me again. First, the pain in my stomach, then the nausea, and now this—what was happening to me?


	2. Sugar, We're Going Down

_AN: Thank you SO much for the reviews! spreads the Edward love It really keeps me going, and I want to give you all a good story..._

_I realize this chapter is super short, so I'm posting Chapter Three along with it. Hopefully, that'll tide you over Read and Review! More reviews, more Edward love._

**Forgot this on my first chapter: Stephenie Meyer may own everything including Edward, but Edward owns me ;)**

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**Chapter Two: Sugar, We're Going Down**

I had finished my shower and had completely dressed without any further incident. I brushed my hair back into a ponytail, knowing I had no energy to try and do anything with my hair today.

Edward was downstairs with Emmett, Jasper, and Carlisle. The girls had gone out for the day, even though the sun was shining bright. When I had asked Edward about this, he only explained that they were going to stick to the malls with parking garages. I was happy I missed out on that one. A day of shopping was not my idea of fun.

I walked down the stairs to the living room, with all four of the men gathered around the coffee table. When I came into view, I saw that Carlisle and Emmett were playing a game of chess. Edward had been helping Emmett, and Jasper was playing with Carlisle. It was always interesting to watch anyone in this family play games. Jasper could sense what everyone was feeling, and could tell if Emmett and Edward were setting up a play or not. Edward could of course read Carlisle and Jasper's minds to see their next moves, but Jasper was an incredible strategist. For anyone that was not familiar with this family might have seen this as a pretty slow game, but for me I could tell it was all pretty intense.

I snorted, seeing all four men huddled around this board game, trying to out maneuver the other. I walked over to the kitchen, gathering up the things I needed to fix myself a bowl of cereal. As I reached for the bowl in the cupboard, the black spots reappeared. This time they completely clouded my vision, and I felt as if the world fell out beneath my feet. I could feel my body swaying, and I was losing control fast.

"Edward," I whispered, right before I fell and hit the ground. I was completely out.

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	3. Some Kind of Miracle

_AN: Here's Chapter Three to go along with Chapter Two. This one's a little longer (okay a lot longer), BUT we have a little EPOV action! His is surprisingly difficult to write...I guess I'd rather be inside his pants than inside his head. _

**Disclaimer: Stephenie pwns. Seriously.**

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**Chapter Three: Some Kind of Miracle**

**EPOV**

Jasper was trying desperately to block his thoughts from me, but every now and then a few would slip through.

"Damn it," Jasper whispered. I had just seen his next two moves that would take out my knight. Jasper looked at Carlisle. "Sorry, I let one slip," he said.

Carlisle sighed. "You know, I remember the days when someone would play this _without_ the mind reading and the war strategizing. Those were the days," Carlisle said with a chuckle.

I laughed. "Sorry to take the fun out of it."

_Should I take his pawn?_ Emmett thought. I shook my head, telling him no. "Not yet," I said out loud, knowing neither Carlisle nor Jasper would understand what that responded to.

_Go for the rook?_ I nodded, and Emmett made his move. I smiled as I saw the different plays that were lying out in front of me.

Carlisle was deep in thought, and I could tell Jasper was trying to find some new moves for Carlisle to make. Suddenly, a loud crash came from the kitchen. The sound of a bowl breaking echoed in the living room.

I ran to the kitchen at vampire speed. "Bella!" I yelled, as I saw my love lying on the ground. Shards of the ceramic bowl she had been holding were spread out everywhere, but luckily she hadn't been cut. I kneeled down next to her. "Bella!" I yelled again. Her eyes were shut, and she wasn't responding.

I quietly listened to her heartbeat—it was a little fast, but regular. I picked her up in my arms and carried her over to the couch, trying to find what was wrong. "Bella, wake up," I said, nudging her and slightly shaking her.

_Let me look_, Carlisle thought. I moved to the side so Carlisle could get a good look at Bella. He lifted her eyelids, one at a time, and said, "Bella, honey, wake up."

"Bella, can you hear us?" Emmett said. He was standing behind the couch, bending over to get close to Bella.

"We need to take her to the hospital," Carlisle concluded. Before anyone could respond, I slid my arms underneath Bella's body and lifted her up. _We'll take my car_, Carlisle thought.

We all ran to the garage, and I slid in the back seat, Bella still in my arms.

_I'll stay and call the girls,_ Jasper thought. I nodded to him before I shut the door. I knew he still had trouble being around humans, especially at a place like a hospital. Carlisle slid into the driver's seat, while Emmett occupied the passenger's. We were off, and in less than ten minutes we were in the hospital parking lot.

I ran at a fast human speed into the hospital, still carrying Bella. Carlisle and Emmett were close behind me. As I ran in, the nurses quickly rushed over to us to help.

"My wife…Bella…she passed out and she won't wake up," I stuttered.

A gurney was there to take Bella, and I hesitantly sat her down. She was still unresponsive, but her heart rate was good. Carlisle quickly ordered tests and such to be done to see what was wrong, while Emmett and I stood by. I grabbed her hand, and squeezed hard, willing her to wake up.

_God, what's wrong? What happened? Bella…_ Emmett thought.

I nodded, not wanting to speak. I was afraid I would start sobbing my dry tears, or I would yell at everyone for not being able to fix my love. Poor Bella…what _had_ happened?

Carlisle rushed her into a room, and waved smelling salts in front of her nose. The smell of those was rancid, even now. I saw her eyelids flutter, but they would not open.

"Come on, Bella. Love, please," I whispered, still gripping her hand.

"Bella. Bella, it's time to wake up," Carlisle said in a firm tone. He waved the salts again in front of her, this time her eyes started to open.

"Edward," she grunted.

"I'm right here, love, I'm right here," I said, kissing the side of her face. I brushed back a loose strand of hair.

Her eyes were fully open now; the cloudy look was slowly disappearing. "Edward. What happened? Where am I?" she asked with a groggy voice.

"You're in the hospital, love. You passed out and we couldn't wake you," I explained.

_You'd think she'd recognize the hospital in an instant; she's so familiar with it…_ Emmett thought.

I shot him an evil look. Now was definitely not the time for jokes.

"Bella, I'm going to take some blood so we can run some tests, okay?" Carlisle said, the needle already in his hand.

A scared look crossed her face, but she just quietly nodded.

_Do you mind if I…? _Emmett thought. I shook my head. Regardless of any of our records, watching someone draw blood was too much of a temptation.

As Emmett left the room, Carlisle hesitated. _If you need to leave…_ Carlisle thought.

I shook my head. "No, I'm staying," I said firmly. I was foolish enough to not watch Bella at the house. I wasn't going to let her out of my sight from now on. How ridiculous was I? I can't believe I just let her fall…

Carlisle stuck the needle in her arm, and Bella flinched. The blood immediately pooled into the vials, and I could feel the venom well up into my mouth. I swallowed it back down. The burn at the back of my throat became a little more evident, but I ignored it by pushing all of my focus on Bella.

I ran my hand over her hair, as her big beautiful brown eyes stared up at me. I could see that she was trying to show me she was okay, but I saw the underlying pain in her face. God, she was in pain. I knew something was wrong earlier, but being the horrible person that I am, I just let her keep going. I should have been more persistent. I should have done something then…

**BPOV**

I turned my head towards Edward, trying to avoid seeing the needle in my arm. You would think that after all the times I've been in a hospital, I would get used to needles, but it just wasn't true.

I looked up at Edward, and I could see worry across his face. I smiled slightly, trying to hide my pain. I didn't know what was wrong with me, but hopefully we would find out soon. I hoped it was nothing too serious—after all, tomorrow was my birthday, and I was expecting to be changed soon.

"All done," Carlisle said after a few moments. I hesitated over looking at Carlisle; afraid I might see the blood. I could tell Edward hesitated as well. I slowly turned my head to face Carlisle.

"So, what now?" I asked.

He smiled softly. "Wait. We're going to run some tests with the samples I just took, and then if nothing shows up, I can discharge you." He lightly patted my arm and said, "just be patient. I'll be back shortly."

Carlisle quickly and quietly left the room, leaving Edward and myself alone. I looked back at Edward, and it seemed like he was blaming himself for everything.

"I knew something was wrong, this morning," Edward mumbled, more to himself than to me.

"Edward, I'm fine. It's probably just a bug that's going around or something," I said. I didn't really believe it myself, and neither did Edward.

He gave me a harsh look. "Bella, I think it's more than that. You completely passed out today! We couldn't wake you until we got here," Edward said with worry lacing his velvet voice.

"Well, I guess we'll find out soon," I said. I didn't really feel like arguing, especially since the nausea was back. I moan slightly.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked, trying to find a place to lay his hands on my body.

"Nothing, I'm just a little nauseous," I said quietly. I looked at him with as serious of an expression I could muster. "I'm _fine_."

"Obviously not," Edward said, with an equal amount of seriousness.

I huffed. "Can we not do this? Can you just get up here and lie down with me?" I asked, patting the side of the bed.

Edward sighed, as he climbed up on the hospital bed. He wrapped his cold arms around my shoulders, hugging my body close to his. I buried my head in his chest, trying to suppress every wave of nausea that hit me. Edward lightly kissed the top of my head, then my forehead. I kissed his chest, and squeezed his body tighter.

"I love you," Edward mumbled into my hair.

I smiled. "I love you too," I responded.

We lied there for what seemed like endless moments, and I started to doze off to sleep. I heard my name being whispered quietly, and I realized Edward was trying to wake me.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Bella." I looked over, and I saw Carlisle standing in the room. I hadn't even heard him come in. "I've got the lab results back," he said.

"That was quick," I said, twisting my body so I could face Carlisle.

"Well, I figured if I ran them myself, we could get the results quicker," Carlisle said. He paused and shifted the folders that were in his hand. I could tell he was slightly uncomfortable. "So, I've got good news and I've got…interesting news."

I raised my eyebrow, when Edward asked, "_Interesting_ news?"

Carlisle sighed, and looked back down at his papers. He walked over and sat down in the chair next to the bed. He looked me straight in the eye, and placed a cold hand on my arm. "Good news is there's nothing _wrong_ with you. Your iron levels are a little low, but adding certain foods in your diet can help that."

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "That _is_ good news," I said with a smile.

"And the _interesting_ news?" Edward asked, obviously irritated by Carlisle's choice in words.

Carlisle sighed again, and shifted in his seat. "Bella…the results from your blood work indicate that—that you're pregnant."

I felt Edward's grip tighten every so slightly. I stared at Carlisle; then I laughed. "Okay, okay. This is where you tell me something huge but not true, just to break the _real_ news to me a little easier."

Carlisle and Edward both did not reflect the humor I found in it. "No, Bella. I'm serious. This explains the lower abdominal pains," Carlisle said, gesturing towards my stomach.

I blinked a few times, trying to get the words to register. "No—n—no…I…we…no," I stuttered. "I can't get pregnant," I gestured towards Edward and said, "vampire, remember?"

A faint hint of a smile appeared on Carlisle's face. "I remember Bella, but I'm just telling you what your blood work told _me_."

"Well, it got mixed up, because that's just not possible with me," I said.

"Bella, I did the blood work myself. It didn't get mixed up."

I stared at Carlisle, waiting for him to explain how this was all a big joke. It had to be…me pregnant was _not_ an option. But I saw no betrayal of the words he had spoken to me. He was being serious, and as I looked over to Edward, I could tell that Edward believed every word. "This isn't possible. Maybe it's a false reading!"

"Bella, blood work is pretty much the most accurate way to detect pregnancy," Carlisle said. He sighed. "I don't know how many different ways I can say this, Bella. You. Are. Pregnant."

"…Not possible," I mumbled.

Carlisle stood, although his hand remained on my arm. "Bella, let's be honest. You and Edward's relationship have a lot of different firsts…this could be just another one. We never thought a vampire could carry on a relationship with a human, until you two. We never had heard of someone willingly becoming one of us, until you. We never thought a vampire was able to reproduce…"

"Until us," Edward said. This had been the first time I heard him spoke since Carlisle broke the news.

"Exactly," Carlisle said with a smile.

He's…_smiling_, like this is a good thing! I looked at Edward, and he was smiling too! I couldn't believe it…

I narrowed my eyebrows and lowered my voice. "Carlisle, we need a minute alone, please."

Carlisle's smile faded. He looked at both of us and said, "of course." With that, he quietly walked out the door.

"Bella," Edward whispered in my hair. I pulled my head off of his chest, and sat up in bed. "Bella, what are you thinking?"

I looked at him, and I felt…I felt angry. Despite the small hint of worry on his face, I could see that he was thrilled, and this _angered_ me. Tears formed in my eyes as my face turned red. I started bawling, unable to control myself. I put my hands over my face, trying to hide myself. What does all this mean? I can't be pregnant! There weren't a lot of things in this world that were for certain, but I had always counted on the fact that me never being pregnant was definitely, without a doubt, for certain. Now, everything had changed.

"Bella, don't cry," Edward said as he ran his hand through my hair.

"Don't cry? Don't cry!" I said through my sobs. "What do you expect me to do, Edward?"

Edward's eyes darkened. "You don't want the baby," he said, more of a statement rather than a question.

"No! Wait…" I said, "I didn't mean that. I just…this is so unexpected! Do you know what this does to our plans, Edward? We had plans!"

"Shh, Bella, I know, but plans change…"

"Well, obviously!" I was taking my anger out on the wrong person, and I knew it, but I couldn't control what I was feeling. "Edward, I will be nineteen tomorrow. _Nineteen_. I'm too young to have a baby!"

Edward smiled slightly. Now was _not_ the time to smile. "Yes, but you have a houseful of vampires who are all at least 70 years old, so that kind of balances out…"

I narrowed my eyes. "Don't joke with me, Edward."

"Sorry," Edward whispered. "Listen, I know this is a surprise, and not the least planned, but that doesn't mean we can't do this."

I began to protest, but Edward held a finger to my lips, silencing me. "Hear me out. I know you're ready to become one of us. I know you had accepted the fact that you would never have children. But honestly, Bella, after a century you kind of forget why you were so eager to give that up. Even while I was alive, I was ready—I was ready for a wife and for children. After I changed, I convinced myself that I didn't need either; my new family was enough for me. But I was wrong. After I met you, I realized that desire to have a family never truly went away. But, for some crazy reason, I was blessed, because I finally got the wife I had always wanted. And now…now I'm being blessed again. Honestly, I don't deserve it, but someone somewhere thinks I do. I'm finally getting the child I've always wanted. I've just been given the miracle of the family that I have desired, have _longed _for, for over a century. I know you're scared, and from the sound of it, pretty angry. But I can't sympathize with you, Bella. I want this, more than anything. I know you don't understand now, but maybe…maybe after a century or two, you finally will."

The tears that had been running from anger turned to tears of regret. He was right. We had been blessed; this was a gift, and I had been angry over it. I looked at Edward's beautiful stone eyes, and I saw that there was nothing but love in them; no hate, no anger, no regret…just love. I sniffled and wiped the tears off of my face. I was being selfish…I was only thinking of me. This…_child_ was just as much his as it was mine.

"Edward," I whispered. I ran my hand along his cold face and traced his bottom lip with my finger. "I'm sorry," I said. My throat was sore from the crying.

Edward smiled softly. "I know. And I do understand that this was…a surprise, to say the least. But you forget who your family is," he said with a smile, "we're pretty good at rolling with the punches."

I smiled, and wrapped my arms around his torso. His strong arms snaked around my shoulders as he pulled me into his lap. "You're right. I'm sorry," I said again.

"Don't be," Edward mumbled into my hair. He kissed the top of my head for more reassurance. "Carlisle is coming back," he said after a few moments.

I nodded, and just then his head popped through the open door. "How goes it?" Carlisle asked quietly.

Edward nodded, and Carlisle fully entered the room. He looked at me with my red face, and back at Edward. I could feel Edward nodding again, probably to a silent question.

"Bella, we can all go home now. I signed your discharge papers," Carlisle said with a soft voice.

"Thanks," I mumbled. "Um, Carlisle?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm…I'm sorry, about earlier. I shouldn't have been so rude, I was just…"

Carlisle's smile cut me off. "Hun, I understand. Don't worry about it."

"Thanks," I mumbled again.

"So," Carlisle began, "how are we going to tell the family?"

Great. I hadn't thought about that. How were we going to tell them that something they thought impossible was not only _possible_ but also actually happening? I guess this was a blessing _and_ a curse.

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_How does everyone react!? Well, I'm sure most of you have guessed it, because I'm cliche, but whatever..._

_Reviews make Edward happy. You want to make Edward happy don't you? DON'T YOU!? So review _


	4. Homecoming

_Hello, one, hello all! Thank you SO SO much for the reviews! They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside _

_Another short chapter, but like before, I'm posting Ch. 6 along with this one, and trust me, Ch. 6 is pretty big...please Read and Review! Edward gets sad if there aren't reviews, and we can't have a depressed vampire, now can we?_

**Disclaimer: So, there's this author...her name is Stephenie Meyer...yeah, she pretty much owns all.**

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**Chapter Four: Homecoming**

Carlisle drove his Mercedes into the garage and killed the engine. We had all been quiet on the drive home, with Carlisle and Emmett in the front, and Edward and me in the back. Emmett was still in the dark on what was going on, but I knew he could feel the tension. The four of us got out of the car and walked into the house.

"Family meeting. Now," Carlisle said at his normal speaking level. Not surprisingly, everyone heard him, and they all were migrating downstairs.

"What's going on?" Esme asked. She looked me over and looked back at Carlisle, worry obvious on her face. "Is everything okay? Jasper called us and just said Bella passed out, but we didn't know what happened," Esme said in a rush.

She came over and wrapped her arms around me. I returned the gesture. "I'm fine now, Esme. Don't worry," I said.

She pulled back and looked me over again. Always, a worrying mother she was. She looked at Carlisle. "What's going on?" she asked again.

"We need to have a meeting. It's important we discuss this now," Carlisle said. He ushered towards the dining room table.

I heard some complaints coming from Rosalie, but the rest of the family was compliant. Hopefully, they would all still be in a relatively good spirit after this conversation.


	5. Where Do We Go From Here

_AN: Okay...take a deep breath, 'cause there's a lot of info in this one. Now, be honest--if it's crap, tell me. I'll rewrite or change the direction of the story...I love hearing feedback and some suggestions as to what people would like to see would be great!_

**Disclaimer: Stephenie rules the world. Because she owns. Yeah.**

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**Chapter Five: Where Do We Go From Here**

I paced back and forth as the family gathered around the table. I thought it odd how our last meeting here was to vote on ending my life and our meeting now was about creating a life.

"Bella?" Edward whispered. He was seated on my left, looking up at me with his beautiful eyes. I hesitated at the head of the table, looking at each one of my family members in the face.

"I—I don't know how…how to say this…" I stumbled.

"Obviously. I'm getting nothing," Alice muttered loud enough for me to hear.

I wrung my hands. I had no idea how they were going to respond to this, and quite frankly I didn't feel prepared to hear their responses. All of this was still so new to me. I was still in shock.

I placed my hands on the cool surface of the wooden table with my palms flat. I stared down at the wood grains, searching for the best way to say this. "I'm pregnant," I whispered.

Suddenly, I heard a loud crash and the sound of wood splitting. My head flew up and Rosalie was standing, glaring daggers at me. The chair she had just recently been occupying was now completely shattered into wood splinters.

"_What?_" Anger and hatred dripped from her question. If she didn't really hate me before, she most certainly did now.

Edward quickly stood and moved to my side. His body was in a defensive position, ready for anything to come. "Rose—"

"She cheated! There's no other way…how _could_ you?" Rosalie yelled.

My eyes widened with anger. "I never cheated," I said firmly.

"How the hell else do you explain it, then?" Rosalie was still yelling. She might be the most beautiful creature on the planet, but at the current moment she was the scariest too.

"I. Didn't. Cheat," I said, trying to keep my voice from wavering. My emotions didn't betray me. "I've been with Edward nearly every waking moment since we were engaged!"

"She didn't cheat, Rosalie," Edward said with a snarl. One hand was on my lower back, while the other was clenched in a tight fist. His eyes were completely black.

"That's probably what she told you," Rosalie spat.

"No!" Edward yelled. "Trust me, Rose, I _know_. She's only ever been with me." I had never seen Edward so angry towards any of his siblings.

"She didn't cheat, Rose," Alice said quietly. She was still seated next to Jasper, right across from Rosalie. Her face was calm, despite the situation. Must be nice sitting next to a walking Prozac like Jasper.

Rosalie glared at Alice, then at Edward, and back at me. She huffed and stormed out of the room. I guess it was close to the kind of reaction I expected from her. I knew that she would take the information the hardest, especially since a child was one of the human things she wanted so badly. I wish I could explain to her that it _wasn't_ for me.

With Rosalie out of the room, the tension lifted ever so slightly. Emmett looked torn between going after Rosalie and continuing our discussion, but Carlisle made up his mind for Emmett.

"Give her some time to cool down. We all need to discuss this," Carlisle said, calmly. Everyone seemed to agree and we all eased our positions. Edward sat back down, and I finally sat down in the chair I had been standing behind.

I sighed. "I don't know how—or why, or what—but all I know is I'm pregnant."

"How did you find out?" Emmett asked. Concern riddled his normally playful face.

"We ran some blood tests when Bella fainted and we found it there. Honestly, that's the best way to detect pregnancy, so it's definite," Carlisle explained.

"Is that why you fainted?" Emmett asked me.

I sighed. "I'm assuming so. I had some pain in my lower stomach right before I passed out, so…"

"So, yeah," Emmett muttered.

We all sat in silence for a few moments, until something dawned on me.

"Alice?"

"Hmm?"

"How did you not see this?" I asked.

She had a sheepish look on her face. "Well…actually, I did." So _that's_ why she's been so calm.

Shock registered on all of our faces. "When you were reciting _The Odyssey_ and _The Iliad_ in Latin…you were blocking me," Edward said more to himself than Alice.

"Exactly," Alice responded.

I looked down at the table and at my hands. Could I ask her the questions I want to know the answers to? There were so many…

"Just ask," Alice said to me. I looked up at her shyly.

"Tell me everything you know," I said in response.

Alice looked each one of us in the face, trying to gauge how interested we all were. Her face lit up and she sat a little straighter in her chair. She looked back at me with a huge smile on her face. "Oh, Bella! There's so much!"

I slightly smiled. "How much have you seen of the…the…"

"Baby," Edward finished for me. I still couldn't quite get the word out. I looked over at him, giving him a silent thank you.

"Well, I haven't seen the baby's whole life, just a few years, but I know enough now to answer questions you might have," Alice responded.

"How did this happen?" I ask the most obvious question first.

Alice furrowed her brow, losing her soft smile. She was deep in concentration when she responded, "well, even in the future we still haven't quite figured out the details. Do you want the scientific version or the fluff version?"

"Uh, scientific version. Just be honest…" I said, confused.

"Well, as you know the venom in our bodies replace all fluids that are normally found in a human. With males, this includes sperm." I blushed slightly, but reminded myself I asked for the scientific version. "Carlisle will seem to think that instead of sperm fertilizing your egg, the venom did. And your egg was a freak of nature, and instead of dying off like it should, it just continued to…grow."

I narrowed my eyebrows. "Freak of nature?" I asked sternly.

Alice smiled apologetically. "You know what I mean…. But, I guess with hindsight, it makes sense. With h—I mean, the baby being half vampire and half human." She paused briefly. "Do you want to know the sex?"

My heart quickened slightly at the thought. I looked over to Edward for an answer, and he smiled at me. "Boy or girl, Alice?" Edward asked. He gripped my hand that rested on the table, his cool skin sent mine tingling.

Alice softly smiled. "It's a girl," is all she said.

Tears immediately sprung to my eyes. "A—a girl?" Alice just nodded her head, her pixie smile growing.

I placed a hand over my heart, trying to slow the beating down. A tear escaped from my eye and rolled down my cheek. A girl…a baby girl. I was going to be—to be a…a _mom_. Wife, sister, friend—those were all labels I knew I could apply to myself, but never _mother_. Knowing that I was growing another human being inside me—a _girl_—put things in a whole other light. I was scared, but I was fearless. I was happy, but I was sad. I was confused, but yet, looking at my husband—now the _father_ of my _child_—I saw everything so clearly. I was going to be a mother. To say this was unexpected would be an understatement.

I looked over at Edward, and I imagined his face mirrored mine. He looked like he was carrying dozens of different emotions, but most of all I saw love; love for me, love for this child, love for life in general. He squeezed my hand, and asked, "What does she look like?"

Alice beamed. She liked being so depended on like this. "Well, she's basically the spitting image of you, Edward, only the weird thing is she has these bright green eyes…"

"Like yours. When you were alive…" I murmured to Edward. He just smiled.

"What else?" Edward asked.

"She's got reddish brown hair, almost the same shade as yours, Edward, and your nose. Oh wait," Alice paused. Her eyes went vacant for a few seconds, and I could tell she was searching her visions. "She has your lips, Bella, and your chin. But besides that, just get the female version of Edward and that's her!"

There was a silence again, as we all processed this information. I glanced around at my other family members. Esme looked like she was already imagining her days with the child, and Emmett had a goofy grin on his face. Jasper looked content, and Carlisle had a smile on his face.

"You know, Edward was the same way with his mother," Carlisle said, "They both had the same eyes and the same hair color. Edward was the male replica of his mother."

I smiled and looked over at Edward. He smiled slightly, and I could tell he couldn't remember much about how his mother looked. "I—I only remember her eyes. I guess that's a dominant trait in our family," he said softly.

"I guess so," is all I could say. I knew sometimes it hurt him that he couldn't remember his human family, but I knew that on some level it was for the best. The Cullens had been his family longer than the Masens had, and it was just a little easier that he couldn't remember much of the Masens anyways.

"What's she like?" I asked Alice.

She took a deep breath. "Well, it's odd because she's physically just like Edward, but personality wise—she's just like you, Bella."

I didn't need to look at Edward to know he was grinning from ear to ear. "How so?"

"She's smart, and sarcastic, and incredibly stubborn," Alice said as she made a face, "but she's completely selfless and she loves us like nothing else."

"Just like you, Bella," Emmett said.

More tears came to my eyes. So this is how they saw me? I knew they did describe me pretty accurately, but to hear it in such a way…boy, I was the luckiest person on the planet to have a family like this.

I smiled and mouthed thanks to Emmett. I turned back to Alice. "So, you said earlier that she's half vampire and half human. How does that work?"

"This is where it gets good…she's _literally_ half vampire and half human. She carries traits of both."

"How do you mean?" asked Carlisle. He leaned forward, obviously becoming greatly interested.

"Her heart beats, and she breathes and all, but she's like a vampire. She doesn't _have_ to. She can stop her heart and stop breathing if she wants." Alice paused as we all took this in. "She has vampire hearing, and vision, and speed—oh, man, she's incredibly fast! Just like her father," Alice said with a roll of her eyes.

Edward glowed. "That's my girl!"

I snorted, and we all laughed. "What else?" Emmett asked enthusiastically.

"She's strong, but she's not quite as indestructible as vampires, but," Alice hurried, obviously noticing the worried look on my face, "but…she's one tough cookie. She heals as fast as we do, and trust me; it takes a lot for her to get hurt. Which is a good thing…she's almost as clumsy as Bella!"

I rolled my eyes. "Out of all the things to pick up from me, she gets the clumsiness…" I muttered.

"Well, it is one of your most—enduring traits, Bella," Emmett said with a grin.

I shot him an evil look, but I knew it was true. If she were any child of mine, _of course_ she would be clumsy.

"There's something more," Alice said, bringing us back to attention. She paused for dramatic effect, looking at each one of us in the eyes.

"Well, what is it?" Emmett asked excitedly.

"She's completely undetectable," is all Alice said.

Confusion rang through to me. "Huh?"

"She's completely undetectable. She has no scent," Alice said with excitement over the news spread across her face.

"No scent?" Esme asked.

"Nope. Nothing…she doesn't smell like a vampire, and she doesn't smell like a human. She has _no scent_. Undetectable, like I said!"

I looked over at Edward, and relief was all I could see coming from him. "Edward?" I asked.

He looked at me and smiled. "This is good, Bella. If—and I say _if_, but with your luck, it'll probably be _when_—if we're ever in trouble with other vampires, she'll be safe. Trackers won't do any good with her, because there's nothing to follow. Vampires practically live off of the sense of smell, and if there is none with her…she's safe." Edward smiled beautifully.

Safe. She's safe. I knew Edward was right; at some point, I'd probably find myself in some kind of trouble. But I didn't think about what that would do to a baby. I would drag an innocent human being into some kind of danger that she shouldn't be involved in, and if anything happened to her…it'd be my entire fault. But she would be safe. I sighed with relief.

I smiled. "She's safe," I whispered to Edward.

"What do they name her?" Emmett asked. We all looked back at Alice expectantly. I couldn't believe I hadn't asked this earlier.

Alice smiled. "Elizabeth Renée Cullen."

Edward and I looked at each other and smiled. Tears came back to my eyes. Pregnancy hormones…great. Like I wasn't emotional enough as is. Edward caught a tear with his fingers as he brushed them along the side of my face. With his other hand, he lifted mine to his mouth and kissed softly.

"Elizabeth Renée Cullen," Edward repeated.

"That's—that's a go—good name," I said through the tears that were coming faster. We giggled, and Edward leaned forward to lightly kiss my cheek.

"How were you able to see all this, Alice? I mean, your visions are based off of decisions, and, well, the child hasn't even been born yet," Esme asked.

"Yes, but I see her through Edward and Bella's decisions. They decided to…well, _consummate_, and I see all of the results based off of that decision. The result is Lizzie." She turned to face Edward and I. "By the way, that's what we call her…Lizzie."

I smiled as Esme nodded. The reasoning made sense enough to us, but right now not a whole lot else was making any sense.

There was another silence among all of us. I knew I needed to fully come to terms with having a child, but there was so much that needed explaining.

"So…where do we go from here?" Jasper asked. I was a little surprised; this was the first time I had heard him speak.

"That's a good question," I said. I was afraid that none of us knew the answer.

--

_LE GASP! Undetectable!? Guess that's good news for Uncle Jazz...I wouldn't let him babysit if the baby were human. Just sayin'... Read and Review, because Edward tells you to. Don't make him bring out the whips! Or do...whatever. He's not picky ;)_


	6. Taking Care of Business

_Hello lovies! So I know it's been a little while since I've updated, and I'm sorry about that. I've been working hard on the story though. See, I kinda had a problem with it...I was at about 9 chapters, and nothing really exciting had happened. So, I really tried to change the direction of the story and get the ball rolling. It's still stretched out...the real action doesn't start until the middle of the story. But isn't that how it usually is? So that's my excuse for slacking._

_Oh, and I have noticed that most of these types of stories have the baby being a girl, but honestly it's a secret fantasy of mine...I love seeing fathers with their little girls, and someday I hope for that to happen with me. I wrote it because I can imagine Edward brushing his daughter's hair and putting it up in a ponytail, and playing Barbies with her...like I said, it's a fantasy of mine, and that's the whole point of this story. So that's why I chose to make Bella and Edward have a girl. I didn't have the best relationship with my father, so Edward's relationship with his daughter kind of makes up for that in a way. Too much info, perhaps...but I just wanted to explain._

_After the novel of an author's note, here's the lovely _**Disclaimer: Stephenie owns Edward. Edward owns me. **_Read and review! They make me warm and fuzzy inside._

_-- _

**Chapter Six: Taking Care of Business**

Edward decided that we should have some time alone and talk things over. I was feeling pretty tired, but I didn't want Edward to know. I knew that now that I was pregnant, Edward was going to be especially protective over me, and I was going to try and do anything to keep that from happening.

Edward decided some time spent in our meadow would help. Instead of riding on his back, my usual place, he insisted that he carried me in front—afraid he might do damage to the baby. I, of course, rolled my eyes and insisted everything would be fine, but he won the argument.

I could feel he was a little more tense than normal. Usually, he was so relaxed while he ran. I loved to watch him run. I loved seeing the liberation that he must have felt, and sometimes I would see the boy in him, rather than the century-old vampire.

As the sun, high in the sky, filtered through the trees, we reached the meadow. Drops of rain from the day before still rested on the grass, and Edward had smartly brought along a blanket. He laid it down in the middle of the clearing, and gently placed my body on top. I sat up and folded my legs, Indian-style. He sprawled his body out, lying on his side while propping up on his elbow. He stroked my knee, and I could tell he was deep in thought.

"What are you thinking?" I asked. This line of questioning was common in our conversations, and sometimes I was more eager to learn his thoughts than he was for mine.

He chuckled. "I'm thinking about you, of course." He ran his hand up from my knee, across my thigh, and back down again. "What are you thinking?"

I sighed. I knew I needed to be honest with him, but _thinking_ the words was a lot different than _saying_ them. "I'm scared," I whispered.

Edward looked straight up at me into my eyes. The filtered sun shot rays off of his skin and eyes, making Edward almost look like a mirage. He smiled crookedly. "Me too," he whispered back.

This surprised me. "You're scared?"

He laughed. "Yeah, Bella, of course I'm scared. I've seen and done a lot of things in my long life, but this isn't one of them," he said lightly.

I half-laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right." I put my hand on top of his, my warm skin absorbing the cold. I traced little designs on the top of his hand and up his arm. Instantly, Edward pulled me down, causing me to lie on top of him. I swung my leg over so I could straddle him, and I placed my arms beside his head, bracing my weight. He raised his head up, lightly kissing my lips.

I bent my head down, furthering our kiss. His cold tongue darted out into my mouth, making me moan with surprise and delight. One hand of his wrapped around the side of my head, pulling me closer, while the other slid down my side and rested at my hip. I combed one hand through his soft hair, never wanting to let go.

Suddenly, I jerked my head back. Edward had a surprised expression on his face. "What, what's wrong?" he asked nervously.

"We'll still be able to…you know…sleep together, won't we? Even while I'm pregnant?" I asked. There was no way that I had spent all that time waiting before we were married to only have to wait another nine months.

Edward grinned. "What? Don't think you can resist me for nine months?" he asked playfully.

I had an evil grin. "Ha! I'm only thinking about you…"

His smile softened. "Well, you're right. I wouldn't be able to go that long without having you. And to answer your question, yes…we can still sleep together. Although, I've already explained that technically—"

I rolled my eyes, cutting him off. "I know, I know. You know what I meant though."

He kissed my lips passionately. "Yes," he mumbled between kisses, "I know what you mean."

Unwillingly, I broke our kiss, another issue bothering me. "Edward," I said slightly worried, "there's so much I don't know. There's so much we have to do."

Edward sighed softly. He ran his fingers through my hair, brushing back loose strands. He kissed me softly one more time, knowing our moment was over. "Well, let's talk."

I rolled off of Edward, and resumed my earlier position with my legs crossed. Edward sat up and mirrored my position. "Okay…where do we start?" I asked.

"You'll need to get an OB-GYN, and I know you have to start taking pre-natal vitamins, and there's a lot of books out there that are really helpful—"

My smile cut him off.

"What?" he asked, sounding slightly offended.

"Nothing. It's cute…you're kind of in a…doctor mode. Very professional, Mr. Cullen," I said in a joking manner.

"Why, thank you, Mrs. Cullen," Edward said, mimicking my tone of voice. He smiled. "I love saying that…Mrs. Cullen."

I snorted. "You can add 'baby mama' to that, if you'd like."

"I think I just will. Mrs. Cullen-Baby Mama. It fits…"

I snorted again. "Okay, okay…seriously."

"Hey," Edward said, looking at me seriously, "you were the one that started it."

"We're trying to discuss our future child, and we sound like children ourselves," I uttered.

Edward extended his hand out, palm up. "I'm sorry. Truce?"

I placed my hand on top of his, his fingers responding immediately. "Truce," I replied. "So, you were saying something about vitamin books…"

It was Edward's turn to roll his eyes. "Vitamins _and_ books, not _vitamin books_. There really is a lot we have to do." His eyes widened as the fact hit him.

I sighed, not wanting Edward to panic. That was my job. "Tomorrow I'll make an appointment with an OB-GYN. However, I'm _not_ going to anyone in town. I don't want this to get out right now. I'll find someone in Port Angeles."

Edward nodded. "Fair enough."

"I'll buy some vitamins, or whatever, and your job can be to buy the books. It sounded like you already have some in mind…"

"Yes," he replied.

I sighed. "What else?"

"Um…we should probably tell Charlie."

Damn it. I had forgotten about Charlie.


	7. Words I Couldn't Say

_AN: Another chapter...yay! There were several different ways I could have seen this going, but I ended up writing it the way I saw my mom reacting to similar news. Also, as you can tell by the end, I'm building up to something big, which I'm pretty excited about. It won't be happening in the next two chapters, but I am introducing another POV._

_Read and review! I love getting constructive criticism, so if anyone has suggestions to the story, I'd love to hear them. _

_Without further ado, _**Disclaimer: Stephenie possède tous, même en français. Figure that one out.**

--

**Chapter Seven: Words I Couldn't Say**

"You do it," I said stubbornly. I had my arms crossed in front of me, my stance firm. We stood in the meadow, and Edward was trying to coax me to leave.

"Bella, he's your father," Edward replied. He seemed amused. Amused? He wasn't the one with the father that just might possibly lose it and use his gun. No…he was lucky, and got the understanding, cool, calm, and collected father. And _he_ was the indestructible one.

"You're the one that got me pregnant. You do it," I repeated.

His face became very serious. "Isabella Marie." He crossed his arms in front of himself, matching my own stance. Great…a standoff. I was going to lose this one.

I huffed and let my arms drop to my sides. "No need for the formality," I said. Edward let his guard down and extended his arms out, inviting me to embrace with him. I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my head in his chest. I breathed his scent in, trying to memorize it. Silently, I was saying goodbye to the beautiful scent—I wasn't sure if I'd make it another day to breathe it in again.

"Bella, it'll be okay," Edward whispered. He kissed the top of my head and squeezed his arms around me tighter.

"Easy for you to say," I muttered.

"Hey, I'm sending my wife and unborn child out into the line of fire. It's not as easy as you think," Edward said. I could feel his smile on his face. I giggled and buried my head farther into him.

"How noble of you," I joked.

After a moment, Edward slid his arms off of my shoulders, lacing one hand with mine. "C'mon," he said, tugging me forward. I unwillingly let go, and Edward picked me up in his arms. Before I could argue, we were off, flying through the forest. I closed my eyes, knowing that I couldn't handle the speed while I was already nauseous. I rested my head against Edward's chest, and he pulled me closer.

After about ten minutes, we were at the Cullen household. Edward sat me down in the foyer, and grabbed my hand again, leading me to the garage.

"Good luck!" I heard Alice yell from upstairs.

I snorted. "I'll be needing it," I grumbled, knowing Alice could still hear me. We walked into the garage and got into Edward' Volvo.

As we drove to Charlie's house, I fidgeted constantly. My leg bounced up and down, and Edward placed one cold hand on my knee, trying to calm my nerves. I stopped my leg, and instead drummed my fingers on the seat.

Edward sighed. "You're driving me crazy, Bella. You're lucky I'm not nervous…if I was, I'd have lost it by now." His voice was serious, but he had a playful look on his face.

"You're just on a roll today, you know it?" I huffed and crossed my arms, bouncing my leg again.

Edward didn't say anything and looked back out to the road. After a few moments he said, "Oh, we caught him in a good mood."

We turned the corner and onto the street, and the cruiser was in view. I turned to Edward. "He's in a good mood?" I asked hopefully.

"Yeah. His sports team just won their game," Edward replied.

I smiled. It didn't take much to put Charlie in a good mood. Although, it didn't take much to put him in a bad mood either. I exhaled. "Well, it doesn't matter either way. I'll ruin his good mood with the news, and if he was in a bad mood, I'd just be making it worse."

"You're too negative, Bella. Try to think positive. Maybe he'll be excited," Edward said, with a false note in his voice. I could tell he didn't really believe it, and I didn't like this. Edward wasn't usually a "best case scenario" kind of person, and it didn't really fit him now.

I snorted. "Oh he'll be excited alright. He hasn't used his gun yet, and I bet he's dying to break it in."

Edward shot me a hard look. "Don't say that."

We pulled up into the driveway, and Edward cut the engine instantly. I groaned. I was hoping he was going to stall a little bit, at least for me, but it didn't pan out. He was out of the car and opening my door before I could beg for some more time. He stuck his hand out, waiting for me to respond. I crossed my arms again.

He dropped his hand. "I can just force you out of the car," he said quietly.

I glared up at him. I got out of the car by myself, and brushed by him as I headed to the front door. He breathed out quietly and closed the car door. Soon, I felt his hand on my lower back.

I knocked on the door. It was still odd for me, having to knock before entering my old home. I heard Charlie yell behind the door, and in a few moments the door opened wide.

"Bells! Hey, what a surprise!" Charlie excitedly said. He immediately wrapped his arms around me, but I was still aware of Edward's hand on my back. Ever since we had gotten married, Charlie had become a lot more affectionate. Hugs were a regular from him, and honestly it made me a little uncomfortable. But, I told myself, any contact with him before I was changed was good.

I hugged back, and Charlie ushered us in. "Edward, good to see you," Charlie said. Another change in Charlie—suddenly, Charlie's initial reaction to Edward returned after we were married. I laughed to myself, remembering how Charlie would praise the Cullen family when I had first moved to Forks. Charlie patted Edward on the back.

"Nice to see you too, Charlie," Edward said, polite as ever. Butter him up, Edward…I knew I was going to need any little bit of help I could get.

"Come sit, sit," Charlie waved us over to the living room. He flopped down in his usual spot, while Edward and I sat on the loveseat. Charlie turned the TV on mute, then turned his attention to us. "So…how's life?"

I hated doing this to him. I loved seeing him in a good mood, and I was going to ruin it. How could I do this to him? He had finally accepted the whole marriage thing, and I knew that was a huge step for him. A baby was just pushing it too far.

"Life's good," I said. I tried to muster as much cheerfulness as I possibly could. "Busy, but good."

Edward squeezed my hand. I looked over at him, and his eyes told me to rush to the point.

I ignored Edward's look. "How's life with you, Dad?" I asked, stalling. Edward exhaled.

"Good! I went fishing yesterday…man they were biting like crazy! Sue made a special batter for me for the fish, so all I have to do is fry it up," Charlie answered.

I fake-smiled. "That's great Dad. Sounds like you had fun."

Edward cleared his throat as Charlie and I both looked at him. "Charlie, we had something exciting happen to us recently."

I glared daggers at Edward. Traitor…

"Oh?" Charlie asked. His eyebrows lifted and a slight worried look flickered on his face.

I looked down and cleared my throat. Edward ran his thumb along my hand, trying to encourage me. I looked back up at Charlie, and I knew I just had to bite the bullet. I quickly glanced at the foyer, and noticed Charlie's belt for work was hanging up—gun in its holster. Edward could probably get there before Charlie could…at least that was a comforting thought.

"Dad, I'm…_we're_…well…uh!" I threw my hands up in frustration. There was no other way to say the words that I wasn't still quite ready to speak. "Dad. I'm pregnant," I said bluntly, my eyes square on his. His face went slack. His eyes bore into mine; waiting for me to tell him it was all a joke.

"Yeah, I had the same response," I muttered. I glanced over at Edward, hoping for some reassurance, but his face was as equally blank as Charlie's. Great. Two men with no emotion and one pregnant woman with too many; this wasn't going to end well, I could already tell.

"Charlie?" Edward asked, trying to bring him back to reality. I couldn't even imagine the kind of thoughts that were racing through his head.

Charlie blinked a few times and looked back and forth between Edward and I. His eyes fell, and a sad expression came on his face. Anger, I was expecting, but sadness? I wasn't sure I could handle that. Small tears came to my eyes, clouding my vision.

"Dad?" I whispered with a lump in my throat.

"I tried so hard, Bella. I tried so hard…I didn't want—I didn't want you to end up like your mother and I…I wanted a better life for you, and here you are…"

The tears leaked, threatening my whole composure. "Dad, don't say that," I whimpered.

Charlie looked up at me, tears also in his eyes. He looked so sad, so broken. "What about your future?" he asked quietly.

I wanted to explain to him that the pregnancy simply put off when I was to be changed to a vampire, but I knew I couldn't. I had to make Charlie believe Edward and I were going to leave for college in the next couple of weeks. "Well, it does change things, but we can figure it out. I can take some time off…if need be, I can always take night classes, or online."

"So you're still leaving?" Charlie asked.

I hadn't really thought about it. We were only moving away to keep up pretenses and also to keep me safe while I underwent my change. Since that wasn't happening now, we hadn't discussed if we were going to leave or not. I wanted to stay; I wanted Charlie to be a part of this. But could we stay? "I don't know," I finally managed to say.

"Honestly, Charlie, we just found out, and we really haven't had a chance to discuss everything," Edward said. This had been the first time he had spoken up, but I was glad for it. Anything he said made me relax a little bit more.

Charlie gulped. "How far along are you?"

"A month, almost exactly," I replied.

After a long pause, something in Charlie changed. "Please stay," he whispered.

More tears threatened from his words. He wanted me to stay…so he obviously wasn't too angry. He smiled softly, and I could tell his love for me was still there and was strong. I nodded fiercely, and choked out an "okay," as I stood up. Charlie stood with me, and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, hugging me close. I cried into his shirt, releasing the emotion I had been trying to hold in.

Charlie softly cooed, trying to calm me down. He rubbed his hand up and down my back, like he used to do when I was little after I had gotten hurt. "Bells, I love you," he whispered.

"I—I love y—you too, Da—ad," I sobbed.

After a few moments, Charlie pulled back and looked me in the eyes. With a stern voice he said, "Now Bella. You need to be an adult about this. You're going to be responsible for another human being, and this isn't just playing house. It takes a lot of work and it's not going to be easy…your mother and I…we just weren't ready. Neither one of us understood how much responsibility goes into being a parent. I'm not going to sugar coat anything for you, because I think you need to know the truth. You understand me?"

I nodded fervently. "Yes, Dad," I said weakly.

"And listen to the adults, because despite what your driver's license tells you, you're not quite an adult. I _have_ lived a little longer than both of you, you know…"

Edward chuckled. Charlie glared at him, and Edward stiffened up, bringing up a blank face. If only Charlie knew…

"Just, don't think you know everything. You don't, Bella. Just…just listen, okay?" Charlie asked, concluding his speech.

"I will, Dad. And trust me, I'm the first to admit I know nothing about a…a…"

"Baby," Edward finished. That damn word…I still couldn't quite spit it out.

"Yeah, that," I grumbled. I turned my attention back on Charlie. "So, are we good?"

Charlie exhaled. "I need some time, Bella. You know how I feel about things like this, so you can't just expect me to jump for joy…"

I nodded, sadly. He was right—it was dumb of me to expect that kind of reaction, but somewhere along the way I had. I wanted Charlie to be thrilled, but then I realized something: how could I expect Charlie to be ecstatic, if I wasn't exactly "jumping for joy" either?

"Take some time, Dad. I know I need to," I said, patting his arm. I turned around back to face Edward. "Well, now that the bomb has dropped…guess that's our cue to go."

Charlie followed behind us to the door. As we walked out, I turned around to take one last look at his sad face. "Good night, Dad. I love you," I said quietly.

"You too Bells," he said, and with that he closed the door.

This was something that was going to have to grow on Charlie and me both. I guess we weren't so different after all. I worried that my outlook on the situation disappointed Edward. I knew he was thrilled about it, simply by his actions. He was playful again…happy, and almost cocky. It reminded me of when we first started dating, and when things weren't always so heavy. After what happened in Phoenix, it felt like one serious thing happened after another, but finally Edward was getting a break. Here I was, dragging it all down with my pessimism. But I couldn't help but feel like something was going to happen…something bad.

Wasn't that usually what happened?


	8. Long Day

_AN: I. AM. SO. SORRY! I know it's taken me awhile to update, but I do have a reason! First of all, I was going to update Monday night, but I went to a concert (which was AWESOME!). Tuesday, I was bum-tired from the concert, and I decided to add some to this chapter. Initially, the chapter stopped at Bella's POV, but I needed to reintroduce Jacob to the story. If Jacob's POV sucks, it's because I had a hard time writing it. I'm not a teenage boy who's hormonal and in love with a girl...I'm a teenage GIRL who's hormonal and NOT in love. So, any criticism over his POV is appreciated. This isn't going to be the last time I use his POV, so any help on how I can make it better would be awesome! As always, read and review! I'd like to see a little bit more reviews...I write faster when I get more reviews._

**Disclaimer: Stephenie owns it all. I just like to mess with them. **

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**Chapter Eight: Long Day**

I rolled off of Edward, a goofy grin on my face. My body was covered in sweat, my breath ragged. I sat up and pulled the covers over my naked body, not wanting the extra heat but I was too embarrassed to lay there completely exposed.

"That was…"

"I know," I said between breaths. I could feel my heart beat slowly calming down to its usual pace, but my body was still tingling.

Edward turned on his side, propped up by his elbow. He shared a similar grin. He lightly traced his finger over my collarbone and to the top of the covers that were over me. He bent down and kissed my chest, his icy lips cooling my skin.

"What these new hormones do to you…I must admit, it's mind-blowing," Edward murmured. He brushed a sweaty strand of hair off of my face. I cupped my hand around his face, drawing him forward for a kiss.

"How was the control?" It was the question I asked after every time we were together. I knew it was such a struggle for him, and I knew he couldn't enjoy it half as much as I could, especially what with the worrying over crushing me.

He grunted. "It's a little harder, knowing you're pregnant and all…" he trailed off.

A worried expression came on my face. "I'm sorry," was all I could think of to say.

He smiled. "Oh, trust me, it was worth it." He bent down and kissed my forehead. He laid down back on the bed, extending his arm out for me to wrap myself around him. I placed my head on his hard chest, my hand falling across his torso.

"It was pretty different tonight, wasn't it?" I asked. I was kind of pleased with myself. Maybe this whole pregnancy thing wasn't such a bad thing…

"Mmm, it was. I couldn't tell who the animal was, me or you," he said with a laugh.

I snorted. I was hardly an animal, but I was pretty wild tonight. I felt as if my body just couldn't get enough of him. I swear I could have kept going if I didn't need rest, but my body was so tired from the long day. I couldn't believe everything that had just passed only happened during a 24-hour period. I prayed that the next nine months weren't going to be this eventful. At that thought, I chuckled.

"What?" Edward asked.

"It's just…I was thinking about how hectic today was. I guess today was pretty tame to before, what with me being tracked by a hungry vampire, then hunted by that vampire's crazy mate. Oh, those were the days," I said sarcastically.

"It is kind of odd. Things have been so…peaceful. Ever since we destroyed Victoria and the vampire army, there's been—"

"Nothing," I said, finishing his sentence. There was a silent pause. "Should we be worried?"

Edward chortled. "Love, in time you'll find some supernatural creature to anger. Don't worry," he said sarcastically.

I sat up and propped myself up on my elbow. "You know, you've been awfully teasing today," I chided.

His smile faded slightly. "I'm sorry, it's just…well, you can't blame me for being happy. My beautiful wife is pregnant with my child. No man in my position would be able to contain his excitement. Besides…it's tiring being serious all the time."

I looked at his face. Even though it was dark in the room, the light from the moon shone through and hit him right on the face, lighting up his already pale skin. He was right…I should lighten up a bit. This was good news, despite was I felt. And Edward's good moods always put me in a good mood.

"You're right," I said as I leaned forward and kissed his lips. "I promise, no more Debbie Downer." I shifted my body back so I was lying in Edward's arms.

After a few moments, I started to doze off. I was at that stage where it was hard to tell between reality and a dream, but softly I heard his voice. "I know you don't see it now, but this is a blessing." Edward sighed and kissed the top of my head. "Good night," he said. With that, he started to hum my lullaby, and I quickly sunk into my dream.

--

**_Jacob Black_**

"Jake, just come home already." Seth's thoughts echoed in my head as if they were my own.

I shook my head, trying to clear the thoughts. It was pointless. "Go away," I thought. The fallen leaves crunched beneath my paws, as I sniffed the air. I could smell all of the forest animals, but nothing out of the ordinary.

"Just get off it. You're being a baby," Leah thought.

"Go _away_," I thought with more ferocity. I growled; why couldn't they understand what I had chosen? I left my human life behind me. I was now a wolf, as I would always be. If only I could get rid of my human thoughts, I could live the life I had decided on, just like Bella had decided hers. Thoughts of Bella flickered through my mind before I could stop it.

A disgusted sound came from Leah's thoughts. I growled again, this time much louder. A bird flew off from its perch, scared by the sudden noise. "Well, if you'd stay out of my head, this wouldn't be a problem."

"If you would grow a pair, we wouldn't have any problems to begin with," she thought angrily.

"Leah, Jacob, enough." Sam's commanding thoughts silenced everyone. He sighed. "Jake, Seth's right. You should come home. It's been long enough."

I scampered through the forest until I reached the bank of a river. I lowered my head, drinking the frigid cold water. "No, Sam. I can't."

"I could make you," he thought in response.

I stared at the rushing water before my eyes. If only I could just jump in the water and let it carry me far away…far away from Bella, from Sam, from everything.

"You could try. I'm done with it all, Sam. I don't care what the hell you think you can make me do." I ran along the edge of the river, following the path it etched into the ground. The moonlight reflected off of the water, which was my only source of light. I didn't need light though—I didn't care where I went or where I ended up. I just wanted to run.

It had been awhile since I ran away. I didn't keep track of time, because I felt I no longer needed it. The only thing that told me time was actually passing were the thoughts from the rest of the pack. I had seen Bella and Edward's wedding from Seth's thoughts, but it was more than I ever wanted to see. She was gone…she completely belonged to him, now. I hadn't seen from anyone if she was changed yet, but it didn't matter. She might as well have been; she was already dead to me.

"Jake," Sam finally thought. He sighed. "Jake, now I'm asking you as a friend—as a brother—and not as the leader. Please…just come home. Charlie is so worried about you, still."

_Charlie_ was worried about me. Why the hell should I care if _Charlie_ was worried about me? Bella wasn't worried…

"Yes she is," Seth replied. "Yes, she is worried about you, Jake."

"GO AWAY!" I screamed. I howled and began to run at full speed ahead. The wind whipped past me, the dark forest only a blur. I could out-run them…if I ran fast enough and far enough, maybe they would be gone…

"No, Jake. No matter where you run, we're all still connected, you know that. We can't go away," Sam answered.

I skidded to a halt, and soon the only sound I could hear was the rushing water and my panting. He was right. They would never go away. No matter how hard I tried to give up my human life, they would always be there, dragging me back to reality. I hated it…I hated them. I hated Bella for making me run. I hated Edward for coming back. I hated everything, even myself.

"Yeah, yeah, you suck, we suck…we get it," Leah thought sarcastically.

"Leah, shut up," Seth shot back.

"No, Seth. He needs to get over it. We all get it…his precious little human dumped him. He's completely overreacting, and I'm sick of hearing his little pity party thoughts. Just come back and get a shrink, Jacob. I mean really…"

"Leah, I swear to God, if you don't shut up I'm going to come back and rip you to shreds myself." She was wearing me too thin. Everyday, I had to hear her whiney thoughts about things that never mattered. She always had an opinion on _everything_…maybe she was the reason why werewolves were supposed to be men only.

"Whatever, I'm changing back." Within a few moments, her thoughts were gone.

"Finally," Seth and I thought at the same time. Seth chuckled…I finally understood why he and his sister had such a hard time getting along.

"Jake." Sam had been quiet while Leah was lecturing, but he spoke now. "She does have a point. Bella isn't the only girl in the world…"

"It's not about her," I spat.

"Isn't it? Or is it just about you? What are you running from, Jacob?" Sometimes, Sam was too perceptive for his own good. Normally, I would never answer him. I didn't like opening up like that, but when we were in our wolf-form, it was impossible to keep anything private.

"I—I don't know…" I let my body fall down onto the hard ground, and placed my head over my paws. "You say Bella isn't the only girl in the world…but what if she's the only one for me? What if she was it, and that damn leech stole her from me?"

"Jake, I'm the first to recognize that sometimes…sometimes there isn't just _one_ person for another. Sometimes there are two." Images of Leah and Emily flashed in Sam's thoughts, reminding me of the awkward love triangle among them.

"That was different, Sam. I'm never going to imprint," I whined.

"That's what I thought," Sam thought sadly. "Jake, let's pretend that Bella chose you over him. You're together for a while, but then you meet _her_…your imprint. You and I both know what that would do to Bella. You would have no choice—you would have to leave Bella. Jake, she's just not meant to be yours."

I remembered a similar conversation I had with Edward, the day of the battle with the newborns.

"He was right, Jake. If you were meant to be with Bella, you would have imprinted on her already."

"You're taking sides with the _bloodsucker_?"

"No, Jake. I'm just trying to get my point across. She isn't the one for you, and you're only hurting yourself by not coming home. Running forever won't make her yours…if anything, you're just proving how wrong you are for her."

I wanted to scream at Sam; I wanted to tell him how wrong he was and how he should just mind his own business…but something inside me told me I shouldn't. He was right…I thought I was being the bigger man by running away and leaving that life behind. I thought I was proving to Bella that I loved her so much more than _him_, because I could let her go.

"Jake…" Seth thought. There was a sad tone to his thoughts, and I knew he was really struggling—from what I had seen through Seth's thoughts; him and the leech were becoming good friends. "Bella is going to be going through a lot. She has to say goodbye to everything in this life—her family, her human friends, us…the last thing she really needs is to worry about you constantly."

"You expect me to sympathize with her choice?" I growled. I would never; she was voluntarily becoming the thing I hated most.

"Do you love her?"

"What do you think?" I snarled.

"I think you do love her. And if I'm right, then yes…I expect you to sympathize. Isn't that what love is all about? Accepting each other's faults and choices, even if you think they're wrong? Jake, if you love her as much as I think you do, you would be doing anything in your power to make her choice easier. You would be there for her until she's changed. Saying goodbye is the hardest thing she has to face, and you're only making it harder. You're hurting her more by running away than by being there until the end."

I was surprised at Seth's speech. I didn't realize he was so perceptive, especially when it came to Bella.

"Edward and I talk, Jake. That's why I know these things…he sees all of this. He knows how hard it's going to be for her. He even kind of wishes you would come back. He thinks that you would make things better for Bella, even if it makes things harder for _him_."

"You know, that whole relationship with Edward is really odd," Sam thought. Apparently I wasn't the only one who thought that. I knew that no one in the pack really accepted the newfound friendship between Edward and Seth, but Sam saw it as a way to keep tabs on the leeches.

"I know…but you would be surprised. The Cullens aren't really that bad of people," Seth explained.

"They're not _people_. They're things," I retorted.

"You're just angry with Edward, Jake. You haven't even taken the time to get to know them, so you can't pass judgment."

"Whatever," I grunted with a roll of my eyes. I rolled my wolf body to the side, spreading my legs out to the side.

"Getting back to the point, Seth…and Edward…are right. You would make things easier for Bella. Besides, we haven't discussed the treaty yet, so this would be your only chance, Jake. Once she's one of them…well, you know."

I had forgotten about the treaty. Things would be completely different once she was a leech. I would never be able to see her again…her beautiful face, her big brown eyes, her smile…

Seth sighed. "Jake. You know you want to come home."

I jerked up on all four paws, a realization dawning on me: I had one more fight left in me. I couldn't just give her up like that. I knew she had made her choice, and I wasn't it—but that didn't mean, like Seth said, I had to have all or nothing. I _could_ be her friend. She knew how I felt about her choice and what it would do to our relationship, but she wasn't one of them yet…there was still time. I could see her one last time; maybe that would bring closure. That's what I needed; I needed to be shown that it was all over, that everything was final. I wouldn't believe it was truly over until I felt her ice-cold skin, until I saw her big topaz eyes…until I could no longer hear her beating heart. Not only did I want to go back home…I _needed_ to. I needed closure.

"I'm coming home," I thought quietly. And with that, I raced back into the forest, my long legs carrying me to the place I knew so well—to the _face_ I knew so well.

--

_Please don't forget to drop a review! They make me shuper duper excited! Mmmhmm..._


	9. Days Go By

_AN: WOW! I'm up to 50 reviews! Thank you so much, first of all, to everyone who has reviewed so far. In all seriousness, it really keeps me going and it's nice to know that someone out there is reading my stuff. Second of all, thank you to everyone who liked Jacob's POV! I said this before, but I truly was worried about it, but apparently it went over very well! This has made me a lot more confident on using his POV in future chapters, so stay tuned for that._

_A couple of notes: First, I'm just letting you know this chapter is basically fluff. I just needed the story to start moving forward, and this was the only way I could see it happening. However, next chapter will make up for the fluff...I'm having a new POV, so that should be interesting. Second, I'm kind of stuck. I have a bit of writer's block, so it's taking me awhile to write. I have everything figured out in my head as far as major plot points, but it's the in-betweens that I have trouble writing. So if I don't update as often as I have been, it's because I'm trying to write something that's good and not just posting randomness._

_Sorry about the crazy long author's note...remember, read and review! I'm not expecting too many reviews on this chapter...I hate to put it this way, but not that much happens in this chapter. BUT, like I said more action is to come! So PLEASE stick it out, and be patient...I enjoy writing so much, that I believe I'm kind of stretching this out to make it last._

**Disclaimer: So, I checked in the mirror. Yeah, I'm still not Stephenie. Maybe tomorrow...**

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**Chapter Nine: Days Go By**

"Stand still," Edward commanded.

I puffed. "Edward, this is ridiculous," I said with my arms crossed across my chest. My shirt was lifted off of my belly, and Edward was tracing the outline of my stomach along the wall.

"No it's not, now stand still." He was bent down, carefully tracing and labeling each line that was drawn. There were three lines on the wall: the first from the week we found out, the second from my 8-week mark, and the third was from today, my 12-week mark.

"There," Edward said. His perfect script was written on the wall under each line, indicating which line belonged to which week. He stood up straight, a big grin on his face. I pulled my shirt back down, and rolled my eyes.

"We're going to be late," I muttered as I walked away. Our ultrasound appointment was today, and we were supposed to "learn" the sex of our baby. Granted, we already knew, but it was exciting to actually hear it from the doctor and see it on the screen.

"When am I ever late?" Edward asked offended. He followed close behind me as I ran around the room trying to get my things together. Where was my purse? I swear I left it over…there!

"Right, hun, sorry. My mistake," I mumbled sarcastically. I grabbed my purse and spun around quickly. "Ready!"

Edward grabbed my hand as we walked downstairs. Esme had been sitting on the couch, reading an antiquing magazine.

"Esme! Just the person I was looking for," I said before we left.

Esme looked up from the magazine and smiled. "What's up?"

"We're leaving for the ultrasound, and I thought…uh, you might want to come?"

Esme stood up quickly, dropping her magazine on the couch. "I'd love to! Lead the way," she said, ushering towards the garage.

We all loaded up into the car, and settled in for the drive to Port Angeles. Normally, it would have been about an hour's drive, but for my vampire husband-slash-speed demon, the drive only took about twenty minutes. Esme and I had talked about nothing in particular, as Edward's hand never left mine.

We pulled into the parking lot, as a few sprinkles fell from the sky. "It's going to rain," I noted.

"Yup," Edward said. Before I had even finished my sentence, he was already at my door, waiting for me to get out. I stood up and stretched my body…every muscle was feeling a little tight.

As we walked into the doctor's office, Edward softly rubbed my shoulder, trying to relax me. I signed my name on the sheet, and we all sat down in the small waiting room. There was another woman with a small child sitting on her lap. The child was a little girl—she had the most beautiful blonde hair, that had been done up in pigtails. She quietly played with a soft toy, while her mother looked on. The mother smiled softly, and combed her fingers through the little girl's pigtails.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" I turned to look at Esme, who had been watching the mother and child as well. I turned my head back to look at the mother, and smiled.

"Yeah, it is," I said softly. I admired the mother-child couple. The little girl was well behaved, and was completely fascinated by the toy. She cooed when the toy lit up and started playing a lullaby. Her mother encouraged her, and softly sung along with the lullaby. When the music stopped, the mother kissed the girl's head, while the little girl begged the mother to play the song again.

I hadn't realized a few tears had sprung to my eyes. I swiped at my eyes, preventing them from even falling. Esme must have noticed, though—she patted my knee softly. I turned to look at her with an embarrassed expression. "Stupid hormones," I said under my breath.

She chortled. "Don't worry, sweetie, it happens."

"Bella?" the nurse called my name.

I stood up along with Edward and Esme, and followed the nurse back to the room.

"Go ahead and lay down. I'm going to take your blood pressure, then the doctor will be in for the ultrasound," she instructed. She looked up at Edward and Esme. "You can—" but she stopped. I looked up at her face, and saw shock and admiration in her eyes. She was awe-struck by Edward…I had seen that expression many times before.

Edward cleared his throat, while Esme tried to distract the nurse. "You can…?"

Suddenly the nurse snapped back. "Right. Um…you can sit down over there…" she said as she motioned towards the chairs next to me. "Um…uh…blood pressure!" she exclaimed. She hurried over to the drawer and pulled out a blood pressure cup.

As she took my blood pressure, Edward held my hand. I could tell he was nervous and excited, and I didn't blame him. We had read in our books that this was the first week we would be able to hear the heartbeat, as well as tell the sex. After the nurse finished, she mumbled something about the doctor and quickly left the room with one last glance at Edward.

I laughed once she left the room. "I can't take you anywhere, can I?"

He chuckled. "I can't help that I…dazzle people," he said with a crooked smile. He leaned forward and kissed me on my forehead. Esme cackled.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door and the doctor entered. "Hello, Bella," she said as she entered the room. "Edward…oh, I see we have another guest," she said, nodding towards Esme.

Esme extended her hand towards Dr. Elliot. "Hi, I'm Esme, Edward's mother," she said with a smile.

Dr. Elliot looked surprised. "Mother? Really?" Dr. Elliot looked back and forth between Edward and Esme.

Edward laughed. "I'm adopted." Dr. Elliot looked uncomfortable, which wasn't too unexpected—Edward's adoption didn't normally come up in conversations. He smiled again, obviously trying to make her feel more relaxed.

"Um, okay let's get started," Dr. Elliot said as she sat down on the stool. "Shirt up pants down."

My face flushed. I hated it when she said this; it always made me feel awkward. I pulled my shirt up to right below my breasts, and tugged my pants down as far as they'd go without exposing myself. I placed my right arm above my head, giving the doctor more room. Edward still held my other hand.

"Okay, this is going to be cold," she said as she squeezed the gel onto my stomach. I flinched slightly, but it wasn't too bad. She took the Doppler wand and ran it around my belly. Silence filled the room as we all patiently waited to hear any kind of sound.

And there it was…the most beautiful, perfect sound I had ever heard. It was fast, but steady. The heartbeat of my child—my little girl—was strong. Tears came to my eyes and spilled over.

"There it is," Dr. Elliot said. "That's the heartbeat."

"It's…amazing," Edward whispered. I looked over at him and his intense stare bore into the ultrasound screen. His eyes were almost glowing; an expression that I had never seen before appeared on his face. I looked over at Esme, and she shared a similar expression.

I looked back to the screen, and saw black and white images flicker across the screen. "There's the feet…and the head…there's one arm," the doctor pointed out. She took a few screen shots, and then she paused. "Do you want to know the sex of the baby?"

I looked back over at Edward, and I was greeted with a huge smile. He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. "Yes," I said, trying to hold back my tears.

Dr. Elliot paused, moving the wand around on my belly. "Congratulations," she began, "it's a girl."

I couldn't hold it in any longer. I started sobbing; my whole body was shaking from the tears. Edward kissed my cheeks, trying to stop my tears. He looked at me and I swore his eyes burned. He gasped softly—he would have shed tears if it were possible. "I love you," he whispered.

"I—I love y—you," I choked out. I ran my hand down the side of his face, tears still flowing freely.

Dr. Elliot cleared her throat. "Well, go ahead and clean yourself off, and I'll give you all a few moments," she said as she handed me a paper towel.

"Thank you," Esme responded, since Edward and I were occupied with each other. She handed me the towel and I absently wiped off the gel. I pulled my pants back up and my shirt down, finally feeling comfortable again. I looked over at Esme. "What'd you think?" I asked.

Esme smiled. I had always thought Esme was beautiful—it was in the vampire nature to be beautiful—but when she smiled, it was as if she was another person. She was no longer a caring mother, but something entirely different. She was drop dead gorgeous. "Incredible," she responded. She patted my arm, and with that the doctor was back.

"So…? How's everyone doing?" she inquired.

I wiped the final tears away from my face as I sat up on the bed. "Good. Sorry…I just got a little emotional," I explained.

She brushed it off. "Don't worry, that's perfectly normal," she stated with a laugh. "Matter of fact, everything looks normal for your pregnancy. Measurements are good, the heart rate sounds good…everything is good. You're perfectly normal, Bella" she said with a smile.

I snorted…then giggled…the laughed, hard. Perfectly normal and Bella never went in the same sentence together. Never.

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_Read and review lovies! I'll give you a cookie..._


	10. Time Has Come

_AN: Wowzers. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far! I was surprised that the last chapter got as much response as it did...it wasn't my favorite, but I'm glad everyone liked it! This chapter is short, I know, but it's important. It sets the stage for things to come, and it's a new POV. Please read and review! I'm sorry it's taken a few days to get this up...I'm kind of in a slump right now (not necessarily with the story, but my personal life). I found out my best friend is pregnant, and she's only 19. Things haven't been good between us before, but now that she's pregnant, I'm trying to be there for her and be the best friend...so if updates come less frequently, try to understand._

_Once again, thank you SO very much for all the support this story has gotten. 3 days, 12 hours, 15 minutes and 38 seconds until Breaking Dawn!! _

**Disclaimer: We've all established that Stephenie is a bamf, because she pwns. **

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**Chapter Ten: Time Has Come**

"How long has it been now?"

"Too long, Aro. We should go back." My brother, Caius, was angry and I knew it.

I sighed. I trusted Carlisle. I loved him as a brother and as a son. It pained me physically to see that Caius did not trust him. I sat back in my chair, contemplating our next move. I saw two options before me. First, I could remain here and trust the Cullen family. I could believe that they, in fact, have changed their precious Bella and she is one of us now. I felt sorry for her—if she were to live with them, she would never taste the sweetness of human blood. No vampire should ever be denied that in our long existences, but that was the path the Cullen family had chosen. My second option was to leave. My brothers were agitated, for we had not had any word on Bella's transformation. I grew impatient as well. There was an incredible gift residing in Bella, and I wanted it. It was greedy of me, but such a talent should not go wasted living as the Cullen family lives. We could leave and visit the Cullen family once again—this time, I expected to see the results that we had agreed on. Something told me I would not, but I buried that part of my thoughts. I _had_ to trust Carlisle. After so many years…surely he would not let his family go back on their word?

"Well?" Caius pushed. He sat in the chair to my left, perched forward eagerly awaiting my response.

If the Cullens were true to their word, there surely would be no harm in visiting them. I know Carlisle would see our actions as doubt over him, but I could explain to him our reasons. I wanted to see what Bella would become. I wanted her to become a part of our family, and I could possibly persuade his son Edward, as well as the small girl…what was her name? Alice, oh yes, Alice. I could try and convince all three to join me. I knew they were set in their ways, but I saw in Edward the lust he still carried for human blood. I would coax that side out of him, begging him to release the animal that resided within all of us. If I could lure Edward, I would surely have Bella and Alice. My family would finally be complete.

I looked at my brother's pale face. Anger and impatience radiated off of him, and I had to placate him. "Very well," I said quickly, "we shall visit them. I would love to see how the newest member of the vampire family is doing." Caius saw that I truly believed Bella was already changed, and he would have to live with that fact. I knew he was still carrying resentment towards me for allowing her to leave Volterra, but she was too precious of a commodity.

"Yes, we shall see," Caius responded, coolly. He rose from his seat. "I will inform the guards. When shall we leave, brother?"

I rested my hand under my chin. "I do not know, Caius. How long has it been?" I asked again.

Caius sighed. "Six months, Aro. That's plenty of time, and—"

"Enough," I interrupted with a wave of my hand. I was tired of his persistency. "We will give them some more time. I will decide when we leave, but it will be within a reasonable time." I paused and examined Caius's face. He still looked angry, but he knew there was no questioning me. "Now leave, brother. I have a headache," I said with another wave of my hand.

Unwillingly, Caius rose from his seat at my left and drifted out of the room, leaving me to myself. I let out an unnecessary breath of air. I did not like not knowing whom I could trust. But I knew the time had come for me to test the relationships I had so hoped would remain true.


	11. Be Still My Beating Heart

_AN: Um...so there's these people...that read this story...yeah, they're basically the best ever. In all seriousness, I was so overwhelmed by all the reviews! Really, guys, you are...well, I'd say amazing, but that wouldn't do it justice. I just want to thank you so much. Writing this story has been an escape for me from daily life, and to see people reading this along with me, and enjoying it as much as I do, really makes it difficult to go back to the real world haha. Please, keep it up! There's a lot more to come, and I hope you all stick to it, and keep reading and reviewing! _

_Also, just a small update about my friend: first, thank you so much for the well wishes and encouraging notes. Second, unfortunately Wednesday morning she lost the baby. It's hard for any kind of loss, and I wouldn't consider myself an overly religious person, but I firmly believe that God doesn't give us anything we can't handle. Right now, there's not much I can do for her--it's just something that she feels like she has to deal with on her own. Writing this story has helped me deal with the situation, especially since it's about a baby and all...but anyways, just thought I'd mention it._

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer is going to take over the world, one Twilighter at a time. I will gladly be a henchman...or keeper of Edward. Yeah, that'd be good...**

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**Chapter Eleven: Be Still My Beating Heart**

His cold lips were pressed firmly upon mine, his tongue flicking against my mouth, begging to enter. His arms were wrapped around my waist, while my arms pulled at his neck, pulling him even farther into me. We kissed for what seemed like forever, but was in fact only a few moments.

"Happy New Year," Edward whispered in my ear, right before he gently kissed my earlobe. I shivered, but not from the cold. I shivered from the heat; from the heat that was between us, that was driving me crazy.

"Happy New Year," I responded with a smile. I kissed his neck and let my tongue flicker out. I heard a soft moan come from deep within Edward, which only made the heat more intense.

I pressed my body up against his as far as I could. I pulled at his neck more, trying to feel every inch of him. I felt a chuckle come from within his chest.

"What?" I asked as I pulled my head back to get a look at his face. He had a playful smile, while his eyes bore into mine.

He moved one hand off of my waist and placed it on my ever-expanding belly. "Careful, you might crush her," he joked.

I sighed. I dropped one hand from his neck and placed it on top of his hand on my stomach. I was now five months pregnant and Liz was definitely making her presence known. I swore every day I got a little bit bigger, and I really feared how big I would be at full term.

"Don't worry, she's practically made of steel," I muttered. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed Edward firmly on the lips.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. That was a first; usually they just barged in. "Come in," Edward said quietly. He kissed my neck, down to my shoulder. We stood in his room, staring out the window. I could hear the sound of fireworks off in the distance and new many parties were being held at this exact moment. I also knew I never wanted to be at any of them.

"Happy New Year!" I turned my head and saw the entire family standing in the small doorway. I couldn't help but laugh—despite them being immortal and beyond perfection, they were surprisingly no different than other families in many ways.

I let go of Edward's neck, but his hand still rested on my stomach. "Happy New Year," I replied with a smile. They all came barreling in, all talking at once. I couldn't imagine how Edward felt, hearing all of their voices inside his head; hearing them speak all at once was tiring enough.

Edward unwillingly let me go as each family member took their turn giving us hugs. Jasper stood in front of me, and I blushed slightly. "Happy New Year," I repeated softly. I knew it was uncomfortable for him, and I hated making him feel like he couldn't be included in as much as the rest of the family.

Slowly, Jasper extended his hand out and placed it gently on my belly. He looked up at me with about as much surprise in his eyes as were in mine. He smiled. "Happy New Year, to both of you." The smile grew as he kept his hand there, and I could tell he was pleased with his self-control.

I didn't get to see Jasper smile much when I was around, and when I did it only reminded me of how perfect everyone was. His smile lit up his whole face, making him look unbelievably charming. I could see why his gift carried over from his human life to his vampire life—his looks alone had effects on people that were sometimes indescribable. I smiled back and blushed.

Just as slowly, he removed his hand and quickly wrapped it around Alice's shoulders. She looked over at him with a pride in her eyes; she was just as happy about our little interaction as he was.

We all stood in Edward's room, our well wishes finally fading down. After a little while, Emmett spoke up. "So what are we doing now?" he asked enthusiastically.

At that moment, I yawned, my mouth stretching wide. Edward noticed and laughed. "Bedtime for the human," he said as he placed a hand on my back and rubbed gently.

Emmett looked slightly disappointed. "Damn it…I thought we could play a game or something…" he trailed off.

I looked at him pleadingly. "Sorry, Emmett, but I'm beat. I'm surprised I stayed up this late. Tomorrow, maybe?"

His face lit up again. "Definitely. You're on," he replied with a grin.

I tried stifling another yawn, but with no success. Esme chuckled. "Okay, that's our cue…come on, everyone out." She reminded me of a shepherd herding sheep. "Good night, Bella," she said over her shoulder.

"Good night everyone," I answered. I heard ramblings coming from the others, but none were distinguishable. I turned my focus back to Edward.

I recognized the look on his face. "So…how tired are you, exactly?" he asked mischievously.

I smiled softly. "Pretty tired," I responded. His face fell slightly, but he still had a slight grin on his face. "Sorry, hun, it's just…it's been a pretty busy day, and my back is killing me," I tried to explain.

"Hey, no, that's okay. You don't have to explain yourself, Bella. Here, I'll get your pajamas for you," and before I could protest they were waiting in his hands.

As I got dressed for bed, a horrible feeling washed over me. I was standing in the bathroom, and I grabbed onto the countertop as I doubled over. I knew it wasn't pregnancy-related; I would have felt that in my stomach. I felt a pain in my heart…a pain that I had only felt once before. It was as if my heart was missing the most essential piece. It felt as if the hole—the one that threatened to consume my body so long ago when Edward had left—it felt as if it were back. Tears sprang to my eyes, as I clutched my body, trying to keep myself together.

"Bella?" Edward rushed to my side, carrying me over to the toilet so I could sit down on the closed lid. "Bella, what's wrong? Is it the baby?" His eyes searched my face and my body, looking for physical signs of something being wrong.

Tears ran down my face, and I couldn't stop them—I didn't want to stop them. The pain that was in my heart was more than I could take, and I prayed that the tears would wash it all away. "It's not the baby," I managed to choke out.

Edward ran his hands through my hair, brushing it back from my face. "What's wrong, love?" The tone of worry softened in his voice, and his posture relaxed slightly. He probably just labeled this as pregnancy hormones. But I knew this was nothing of the sort.

My heart was trying to tell me something. It felt as if my heart was preparing me…it was preparing me to feel this horrible pain in the coming time. Why was I feeling like this? I had always told myself that as long as Edward was in my life, I would never feel that emptiness…that loneliness…ever again. I had nothing I could possibly lose that could ever make me feel so vacant inside. But it hit me. I looked down at my belly, caressing the stomach that held my unborn child. I _thought_ I had nothing more than Edward I could lose, but that was so long ago. Now, I had something just as precious as him. If I lost my baby, would I feel the same pain I felt when I lost Edward?

My heart was telling me yes. My heart was telling me I was going to lose my child. Panic struck me. I didn't know when, and I didn't know how, but I was going to lose her. I clutched at my stomach, thinking that if I held on as tight as I could, she would never leave me and I would never lose her. My heart raged on, burning with stinging pain. My heart was telling me it was useless—I knew I was going to lose her, and trying to keep her with me wasn't going to help.

I didn't listen. I was _not_ going to lose her. I would die before that happened.

I wiped away my tears, trying to slow my breathing down. "Sorry, hormones," I fibbed.

--

As Edward and I walked out of the bathroom, six worried and confused vampires met our gaze.

"Bella, what _happened_? I could feel it…" Jasper trailed off. He shook his head, the pain from my emotions were still in his eyes.

"Pregnancy hormones," Edward explained with a pat on my shoulders. He smiled slightly and shrugged. I wish it were that simple.

Jasper shot me a look that told me he knew otherwise. I silently shook my head, sending him a signal, begging him not to say anything.

With a sigh, he nodded his head and accepted Edward's excuse. I hinted at a smile towards Jasper. Thank God he wasn't much of a talker.

"So, everything's okay? Jasper was worried," Carlisle asked concerned.

"Yeah. Sorry, I'm just tired," I half-heartedly explained. Everyone started to file out of the room with murmured complaints coming from Rosalie. Edward lifted me off my feet once everyone had left and shut the door. Carefully, he placed me on the bed, and swiftly pulled the covers up over my pregnant stomach. He tucked the covers in tightly around my body, making it impossible for me to move hardly at all. Deftly, he bent down and kissed my forehead.

"I love you," he whispered.

"Love you, too," I replied while shutting my eyes. I was in a hurry for this day to be over. I could feel Edward lay down by my side, and he slid one arm under my head, while his other hand gently rested on top of my belly. I snuggled closer into him while he began humming my lullaby. I begged for sleep to come quickly, as Edward rubbed his hand in small circles over my belly.

_I won't lose her. Edward and I both will make sure of it,_ I thought to myself. As I slowly drifted off to sleep, I repeated this mantra to myself over and over again. I became more and more convinced that things really were going to be okay. I could feel my body fading off into the realm of sleep, as Edward's soft music slowly melted away.

I should have realized that I was just luring myself into a false sense of security. I should have realized that in my life, things were never really just "okay."

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_Read and review! Oh, and I just wanted to mention this: last night, I wrote the birth scene! This might sound corny, but I had tears running down my face while writing it...if anyone spends any kind of time with me, they learn that I want to be a mother more than almost anything in the world, so writing the scene kind of helped me express how I feel about motherhood and the like. I don't know exactly how soon it'll be showing up, so be patient! Just know that I think it's pretty amazing..._


	12. I'm Not Okay I Promise

_**CONTAINS BREAKING DAWN SPOILERS IN THE AUTHOR'S NOTE. IF YOU HAVEN'T READ BREAKING DAWN, SKIP TO THE STORY AND IGNORE THE AN.**_

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_AN: Okay, lovies, so I didn't get the turnout I was hoping for with the last chapter. I waited a little while before updating, because I realize that Breaking Dawn was just released and all that. For those of you who have read BD, you'll probably agree when I say the story isn't so AU anymore...I think I was shocked just as much as anyone about Nessie! It kind of bummed me out, simply because of the whole plot line of this story. I promise it won't affect my story, however, and we'll just act like BD didn't happen (although, I'm one of the few who actually LOVED BD.) Please please PLEASE read and review! They keep me going!_

**Disclaimer: Stephenie still owns Twilight.**

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**Chapter Twelve: I'm Not Okay (I Promise)**

I awoke to two black eyes staring at me with concern. I moaned as I tried rolling way from them, but two icy fingers pulled my face back to stare at the black eyes.

"Bella," Edward said forcedly.

"Edward," I said with the same emphasis. I scrunched my face at him, because I knew what he was going to say. Last night I had had horrible nightmares, and I was definitely sure my night mumblings reflected that.

"What's going on? All last night you had nightmares. Is something wrong?" His eyes were filled with worry, and I felt the worry was justified. Although last night I had convinced myself that things were going to be good, my dreams had told me otherwise.

I couldn't let him know anything was wrong. "Just typical fears about pregnancy and giving birth, Edward. So sue me," I spat.

Edward's features softened, his fingers no longer held my face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be accusing…" he trailed off.

I stared at him with a criticizing look for as long as I could manage, which wasn't very long. I was scared and angry, but I was taking it out on him. He had every right to be concerned, because my nightmares were anything but typical. In my dream, I fought constantly to keep Liz. No matter what I did, someone was always taking her from my arms, never letting me hold my baby. I had been running through the forest, trying to find her, and every time I got close someone new would come along and drag her farther away.

"No, you're fine," I said gently. I ran my hand along his face, and brushed my fingers across his lips. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so harsh."

He kissed my forehead, sweeping strands of hair away from my face. "I'm just worried about you, that's all."

I smiled. "I know. Speaking of worry," I changed the subject, "you need to hunt. _I'm_ worried about _you_. It's been so long." I skimmed my fingers below his eyes across the dark circles that grew darker with every passing day.

He pulled his head back away from my fingers. "I'm okay. I don't want to leave you alone."

I looked at him crossly. "You know, I'm more than capable of staying home by myself."

He laughed. "Bella…c'mon," he joked with a roll of his eyes. "You and I both know that—" but he paused, not finishing his sentence. He looked towards the door. "That's not necessary, Jasper. I'll stay with her."

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Jasper said the family is going hunting, but he was going to stay home. Which, like I just said, is unnecessary."

Suddenly, I saw this as an opportunity. I needed to talk to Jasper about last night. He had gone along with the hormone excuse, but only he and I knew it was more than that.

"I'd like to spend some time with Jasper, actually. If you don't mind…" I caressed the side of his face with my fingers, hoping I could distract him enough for him to agree.

He turned his head towards my hand and kissed my palm. He sighed, signaling to me that he had given in. "Alright, but we won't be gone long, I promise."

I simpered. "Don't worry about me. I've got Army Boy to protect me."

He snickered. "I'll have my phone too, just in case. Call me if you need _anything_. Understand?"

I set my face to convey a serious matter. "Aye, aye, Captain." I half-heartedly saluted with two of my fingers.

Edward smirked. "That's Jasper, not me." We laughed, but it was broken off by a kiss. Edward cupped my face while his frozen lips moved with mine. I had wrapped my arms around his neck, tangling my fingers in his hair. Too quickly, Edward broke off the kiss.

"We'll be back by night. I love you."

I kissed him lightly on the lips one last time. "I love you, too," I said with a smile. "Go have some fun!"

He smiled and was out the door, leaving me to myself. I hoisted myself out of bed, which was becoming more difficult with each day. Quietly, I dressed myself but I didn't pay any attention to my clothes. My thoughts were on my impending conversation with Jasper.

I walked downstairs, and Jasper was there, watching a documentary. He smiled softly when he saw me. "Morning," he said.

"Morning," I replied. I headed to the kitchen to make myself some breakfast, all while trying to keep my emotions in check. I was nervous—nervous about talking with Jasper, nervous about discussing what happened last night. I poured myself a bowl of cereal, and sat down on the couch at the opposite end from Jasper. I slowly ate, trying to focus my attention on the documentary.

Jasper let out a breath of air. "Okay, we need to talk," he finally said during a commercial. He clicked the TV on mute and turned his body to face me. I still focused my attention on the TV; the spoon I was using was hovering half way between the cereal bowl and my mouth.

I put the spoon back into the bowl and set it aside. I turned, mimicking Jasper's body language. "Alright," I finally managed to spit out.

He looked down at the couch, then back up at me. He looked almost as nervous as I was. He cleared his throat. "What really happened, Bella? Don't tell me it was pregnancy hormones, because I've gotten pretty good at separating pregnancy emotions from _real_ emotions. Last night was definitely a real emotion."

I had to stop and think before I responded. I guess I hadn't really thought about how this pregnancy thing was affecting Jasper. I was constantly circling through emotions, but I must have forgot that Jasper was circling through them with me. Only, he handled it a lot better than I did.

I stood up as quick as I could and took the bowl over to the kitchen sink, trying to stall for some time. I washed out the bowl, and placed it on the counter to dry. After I was finished, I placed my hands on the cool marble countertop and exhaled. I looked up at Jasper; his eyes were watching my every move. "I don't know what happened," I breathed.

He stood up and walked to the opposite end of the counter top, directly across from me. I saw some kind of sadness in his eyes. "Bella…it hurt. It hurt so bad," he whimpered. "What made you feel that way? What were you thinking about before?"

I shook my head. "Nothing really. It just hit me…out of nowhere. One minute I was getting ready for bed, and the next, my whole world was falling apart."

"Have you ever felt like that before?"

I hesitated. "Yes…once. When…when Edward left."

Jasper studied the marble countertop, obviously noting the awkwardness of remembering that horrible time. I knew Jasper still felt bad about what had happened on my 18th birthday, but I had long since forgiven him.

I cleared my throat, trying to move the conversation forward. "I used to feel like my body was going to cave in on itself. There was this hole…this big hole in my center, and the longer I went without him—the more I missed him, the bigger the hole got. I used to think that if I wrapped my arms around myself, I could hold myself together." I paused. I had never fully shared this kind of information with anyone before, but it was surprisingly easy to talk to Jasper. "When Edward came back, that hole closed. I thought it was gone forever, because I knew that Edward was going to be with me for forever. But last night, it ripped back open again. I felt like everything I had ever wanted, ever loved…everything had just been taken away from me."

"But he's still here. We're not leaving, ever," he said firmly. "You're a part of this family now."

I shook my head. "I don't doubt that you guys won't leave me. I've never been more sure about my family." I started tracing the lines in the marble with my index finger. It was so hard to verbalize my new fears, but they needed to be said. "I…I'm not afraid I'll lose you. I'm afraid I'll lose _her_," I verbalized, resting my hand on my stomach. I looked Jasper in the eyes. "It was like my body was trying to tell me something, Jasper. It was telling me I was going to lose Liz." Tears had formed in my eyes, as I blinked furiously to try and keep them in place.

"That's not true, Bella. You're not going to lose her…I know you're scared, but we won't let anything happen."

I shook my head fiercely. The tears began running down my face. "You don't understand Jasper. I told myself I would _never_ feel that way again, unless if I lost the things that mattered most in my life. Edward and Elizabeth matter the most, and I'm telling you, I'm going to lose Liz. I'm going to…I just know…" but at this time I began sobbing. I cradled my head in my hands as my body shook with sobs. No matter how much I told myself that things were going to be okay, my body—my heart—knew otherwise. My heart was trying to prepare itself for the biggest loss it has ever suffered.

As I wept, a cool hand rested on my back. I removed my head from my hands, just long enough to see Jasper standing behind me. I could feel waves of calm washing over me, and the tears slowly dissipated.

"Bella, can I explain something to you?" Jasper asked smoothly. My sobs had turned to silent tears running down my cheeks. I turned my whole body around and faced Jasper directly, and he began. "Bella, when you live as long as I do, you learn that…you learn that sometimes you lose. Sometimes you lose the most important things in your life, and you feel like there's nothing else out there…"

I opened my mouth to argue, but Jasper held up a finger, silencing me.

"Let me explain, Bella. Yes, you lose things—_people_—that are a part of your essential make up. However, during those times you also learn what you're willing to fight for. Over time, I realized I was willing to fight for human life. I was willing to give up the only life I had known, turn my back completely on that lifestyle, and adopt this new one. I learned that life was the most important thing to fight for, and believe me it's a struggle, everyday. I've also learned that I am willing to fight for you, and for Lizzie." He combed his fingers through his hair, hesitating for a moment. He had never really said much to me like this…he was so open now.

"Bella, I can honestly say that I had never fought so hard to keep one human alive. Every human is the same to me…they all smell the same, feel the same, behave the same. Until you. You're so much more different than I had ever realized, and now that Lizzie has been brought into our lives, I see that she's just as different as you are. I've only ever fought with _myself _to keep a human alive…but with you, I've definitely fought more than that," he said with a chuckle. "And I will continue to, until the day I no longer exist. I've learned the value of family, and you and Lizzie are my family. I would go to the ends of the Earth to fight to keep you and her here with us, and I know I speak for the entire family when I say this. I know you fear that you'll lose her, and I'm not saying no one will ever try to take her away. But what I _am_ saying is you can be sure that every single one of us will do everything within our power to make sure that never happens. You can be sure that we will all fight to keep you and Lizzie here with us…where you belong."

My mouth hung open. I just…I couldn't believe what he was saying. I had always felt a wall between Jasper and I, especially since he struggled so much with the bloodlust. I guess I had always figured he just…put up with me. I never realized he loved me as family. I never realized he cared so much about the life and safety of my child. I just never realized.

"Jasper…"

"You don't have to say anything, Bella. And I know my words won't make your fears go away, but they shouldn't. You should remember these fears, so you're never caught off guard. I just want to ease those fears, some. You may fear losing her, but you wouldn't be the only one losing her—we all would. Since we all would lose her, we all would fight, hard, to bring her back. It's not just you or Edward in this, it's all of us."

I swallowed hard, not really knowing what to say. I felt guilty, because I had so underestimated our relationship. "Okay," I finally sputtered out.

A smile flashed on Jasper's face. "Okay," he repeated.

--

The rest of the day was spent in peace. It was surprisingly easy with Jasper; I had worried, especially since he was the most uncomfortable with me, but I guess the months that I had been living here got him used to it.

Jasper and I were sitting on the couch, watching some reality show on TV. Neither of us was paying much attention, but we still sat there with our eyes focused on the screen. Suddenly, Jasper flew up and was at the front door in an instant. He growled loud as he tore the door open. I lifted myself up off of the couch as fast as I could and ran over to the door—there was nothing there.

"What's wro—" but before I could finish asking my question, a tall, dark man walked into the pathway leading up to the door. His hair was longer than I had remembered. Something about him was different; the lines on his face were harder. He stood about twenty feet away from the front door, staring only at me.

"What the _hell_ are you doing here?" Jasper demanded.

Jacob's eyes widened, as he looked me up and down. His eyes rested on my midsection—on my pregnant belly.

"I _said_, what the hell are you doing here, dog?" Jasper yelled louder. He defensively positioned his body in front of mine, blocking Jacob's view of my stomach.

"Bella," is all he whispered. He took a step forward, but it was a step too close for Jasper. A deep growl came from within his chest, as he slowly lowered his body into a crouching position. I had seen this stance from the Cullen family before; they shifted their body this way, right before they were going to attack.

Before Jasper could lurch forward, a loud crash came from ahead of me. I saw a blur of pale skin on top of the russet skin, knocking Jacob down on the ground. I heard a scrambling of snarls and yelps as I stepped out from behind Jasper and ran forward.

"Stop it! STOP!" I yelled over the noise. In an instant, the movements stopped. Edward was on top of Jacob, pinning him down. He looked up at me, anger and pain in his eyes.

Jacob rolled his head to the side, to look up at me. "Both of you, up. Now," I demanded. I crossed my arms in front of me; they were acting like children!

Edward bolted up off of Jacob and positioned himself in front of me, staring me down. "Are you okay?"

"Fine. Move," I said, pushing Edward to the side. He obliged, and turned his body to face Jacob. Jacob stood up, dirt covering his body.

He tried to brush the dirt off, as I tapped my foot. When he finally looked up at me, his eyes rested on my stomach again. "Bella," Jacob repeated.

"You said that. What are you doing? What…I mean…why…gah!" I threw my arms up in the air, my emotions were so jumbled it was impossible for me to form the questions I wanted to ask.

"What are you doing here?" Edward asked. His face had softened, but his body was still tense. His fists were clenched at his side, as he stared Jacob down.

Jacob tore his eyes from my stomach to look at me in the eyes. His eyes flickered between Edward's and mine—he was obviously confused. "What happened to you, Bella?"

I furrowed my eyebrows. "You first."

I was so angry with him! How could he honestly expect to just wander up here, after so many months of running, and expect to ask _me_ the questions? He had so much to explain, and all he could do was ogle my stomach.

"She looks pregnant, because she _is_," Edward monotonously answered Jacob's thoughts.

Jacob's eyes widened from shock. I opened my mouth to demand an explanation for his absence, but before I could get the words out he was gone.

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_Once again, read and review PLEASE! Also, Jacob POV for next chapter...and I must say, after BD I'm a Jacob fan!_


	13. Since U Been Gone

_AN: OH. MY. LOVELY. EDWARD. You readers are basically the most amazing people ever! "Changes" has gotten over 100 reviews now!! Start the party, people! Haha just kidding. Thank you SO SO SO much for all the lovely reviews and the encouragement to continue on. It means the world to me, honestly._

_A couple of reminders: First, read and review!! I know it may seem a little dragged on in the story, but I'm building things up, so be patient and keep reading! Second, I'm going back to college this week, so I probably won't be able to update for awhile. I have to drive from Arizona to Missouri, so it's going to be a looong drive...I'll definitely be writing A LOT on the road, but I won't be able to post any of it until I get to school and get internet access again. So, just be warned it'll take awhile for some updates (hopefully no more than a week)._

**Disclaimer: Stephenie still pwns Twilight, & Edward with all his yummy goodness. Edward still pwns me.**

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**Chapter Thirteen: Since U Been Gone**

_Jacob Black_

I phased without thinking; my clothes tore off of my body as I landed on four large paws. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me; unfortunately, my thoughts kept pace with me. I ran through the forests, trying to get home without being seen.

In a few minutes, my small beat up house came into view. I slowed my pace when I reached the front porch of my house, but continued to walk in, still in my wolf form. Billy was out with Sue, so I had the house to myself. I phased back into human form, and I dressed quickly. I had to get to the rest of the pack—I wonder if any of them knew about this.

I ran over to Sam's house, and let myself in. Emily was in the kitchen, cleaning up from their lunch, while Sam still sat at the kitchen table. When he saw me enter, he rose from his seat. "What is it?" he asked worriedly.

"We need to have a meeting. _Now_."

Sam nodded, as he looked over to Emily. She smiled slightly, and nodded, giving Sam leave. We were out of his tiny house quickly, making our way to each of the pack member's houses. The last one we reached was Seth and Leah's. Fortunately, both of them were home, with Billy and Sue sitting in the kitchen.

The whole pack filed into Sue Clearwater's small living room, everyone was anxious to hear what the emergency meeting was for.

I paced in what little space I was given, not sure how to tell them what I had just saw. I ran my fingers through my hair nervously, as everyone's eyes paced back and forth with my movements.

Leah groaned. "Out with it, already!"

I halted, mid-pace, and faced them. "Bella…she's…she's _pregnant_," I stuttered quietly.

Audible gasps came from everyone—everyone except Seth. I stared at him, but he didn't have the reaction I had expected. He had a defeated look.

"Seth?" I inclined.

He exhaled as he nervously eyed the rest of the pack. He obviously wasn't going to explain himself without some prompting.

"Seth?" Sam repeated. "Do you have something to tell us?"

He exhaled again, this time his eyes flickered towards the floor. "Um…well, let's just say…this isn't as big of a surprise to me as it is to you."

I jumped forward towards him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I yelled.

Seth lurched his body backwards, away from me. His eyes were wide in fear, but Sam stepped up and put himself between Seth and me.

"Jacob. Calm down," Sam said. My breathing slowed slightly as I stepped back. My hands were still in fists, but I bit my tongue. Sam turned around to Seth. "Explain yourself," he commanded.

"Well," Seth began with a ragged breath, "I've known…for awhile now. Edward told me when they found out."

"And you didn't feel the need to share?" Leah spoke up.

Seth glared at his sister. "No. It's not my news to share."

"Why did he tell _you_? He didn't feel like the rest of the pack needed to know?" Paul inquired.

"No. It's none of the pack's business. He told me because we're _friends_. That's what friends do—they tell each other when their wife is pregnant," Seth said sarcastically.

I cringed at the word "wife." I had forgotten to some extent that they were married. For so long I had told myself that it never happened, I started to believe it.

Sam breathed out. "He's right…it isn't the pack's business." Sam moved and sat back down in his original spot.

I jumped to my feet. "We can't just sit back and do nothing! This is huge!"

"Jacob, calm down." Sam's black eyes held a hint of anger in them.

"This is only huge for you, Jake. Quite frankly, I think it's funny she cheated on him…maybe it's a good thing you're not with her. It sounds like she gets around," Leah muttered bitterly.

"Shut the hell up, Leah. You have no idea what you're talking about," I shouted as I got in her face. She stood up quickly, her head barely reaching my shoulders. Her eyes narrowed, her fists balled up at her sides.

"Don't tell me what to do," she spat back.

"ENOUGH," Sam boomed. I stepped back slightly, turning to look at Sam. His head was bent down, cradled in his hands. He exhaled slowly, trying to gain some control. He raised his head back up to look me in the eyes. "Jacob, this isn't the pack's problem. You can't drag us into your personal problems, so you need to find another way to deal with this. Leah," he sighed looking at Leah pleadingly, "Leah, please. Be a little bit more understanding."

She growled, but sat down promptly. My mind raced over what she had said…_I think it's funny she cheated on him._ Bella cheated on Edward? She would never…no matter how much I hated admitting to it, Bella did love Edward, and I could never see her cheating on him. Unless it was with me.

I opened my mouth to ask the questions I was thinking, but I was interrupted by a knock at the door. We all looked around at each other, confused as to who it could be. Seth got up and walked over to the door.

"Oh!" Seth exclaimed. Soon, he walked back into the living room, with someone following behind him.

Her eyes met mine instantly. There were tears in her eyes, as she wrung her hands nervously. I stood, frozen in place; was I ready for this?

"Hi," she whispered. She swallowed hard as her eyes darted around the room, noting the whole pack.

"How'd you know we were here?" Seth asked.

She turned to face him with a slight smile. "Oh, I stopped by Sam's, and Emily told me where I could find you…"

At the mention of his name, Sam gathered himself together. He stood up with a clearing of his throat. "Bella. How nice to see you again," he said warmly. His eyes darted between Bella and me, not sure how to proceed.

"Yeah, you too," she said with a blush. Her eyes didn't leave mine, and the longer they held the more I felt uncomfortable. I fidgeted slightly, and tore my eyes away from her, only to have them trail down to her belly. Her stomach was small, but she seemed to be far enough along to be obviously showing. She must have noticed where my eyes landed, for she placed both hands over her growing midsection.

Seth put his arm on her shoulder warmly. "How are you feeling?" he said, nodding towards her belly.

She blushed a deeper red. "Go—good. I'm finally over my morning sickness," she stuttered.

Seth smiled big. "That's good. Nice to hear you're doing better," he said with a pat from his hand.

"Yeah," she mumbled in a reply. She cleared her throat. "Um…Jake. Can I speak with you privately, please?" she asked quietly.

My eyes shot back up to hers. Her expression was practically begging me to agree, but I didn't know if I was ready to do this. I didn't know if I could talk to her just yet. I had come back a few weeks ago, and it had taken me this long to work up the nerve to speak with her again. Then I find out about this…I should have never come back. I should have known it was going to be useless.

"Please?" she begged.

I groaned. "Fine," I said harshly as I brushed past her and the rest of the pack to the front door. She stumbled behind me out of the door to stand out on the porch. I spun around quickly, surprising her. She stumbled backwards, losing her balance, but I reached out my arms and grabbed her by the waist. I pulled her forward, setting her straight.

"Thanks," she said with a sheepish smile.

I dropped my hands from her waist and stuffed them into my pockets. I bent my head down to look her in the eyes, but she kept avoiding my gaze.

"Um…welcome back," she said quietly.

I snorted. "What, that's all I get? No party?" I retorted sarcastically. I turned back around to face the front yard. I walked over to the railing around the porch and rested my hands on the old wood.

I kept my eyes straight out, but I could hear Bella moving next to me. She propped herself up on the railing, facing the opposite direction from me. "Jake," she whispered.

I hated that voice. That was the voice she used when she wanted something from me; she knew that voice would make me do anything she asked, and I hated how she manipulated me like that. Even though I knew what she was doing, I still caved. I breathed out, and turned to face her. "Bella, what do you want from me?"

"I want you to listen to me," she replied.

I straightened up. "Fine! I'm listening!" I brushed my hair out of my face, frustrated.

She looked down at the faded wood, playing with a loose piece. After a few moments, she looked back up at me. "A lot has happened since you've been gone."

I snorted. "Yeah, looks like you've been busy…" I waved towards her stomach. She rested her hands over her stomach, like she did before.

"Can you not? Can you…can you just let me talk, and you listen, and not add your little commentaries, please? For once?"

"Fine," I rolled my eyes.

Bella's eyes darted around the porch. "Um…can we sit? My feet and back hurt…"

After I went inside and came back out with a seat, she settled into her chair. I sat up on the railing, waiting for her to begin to explain herself.

She huffed. "So…I'm pregnant." She said it more as a question rather than a statement. "But, I guess I need to start before then."

With that, she began telling me the events leading up to the present. I began fidgeting when she talked about the wedding—quite frankly, I didn't want to know. I could tell she was trying to save me from as much detail as possible, because every time she said Edward's name her voice wavered slightly. Her words picked up speed, as her fingers traced random patterns on her stomach.

"…That's when we found out we're pregnant." Silence stretched out between us for a few moments. "Um…we're having a girl," she spoke up again.

I looked up at her in the face and raised my eyebrows. "A girl?"

She smiled slightly. "Yeah…Elizabeth Renée is what we're going to name her," she said as she rubbed her belly.

"So…you're far enough along to tell?"

"Yeah. I mean we knew the day we found out—Alice saw it—but yeah I'm far enough along. Five months, actually…"

I nodded, taking in the information. "What all do you know about the…uh…"

I was surprised when Bella laughed. "Baby? It took me awhile to say it too. And to answer your question, we know a lot…from Alice, obviously. She tells us that Liz is going to look like her father, but act like me." She smiled to herself.

"So…who is the father?"

Her eyes flew up to look at me, anger raging across her face. "Excuse _me_?"

I rolled my eyes. "Well, it's obviously not _his_…" I said matter-of-factly.

Quicker than I've ever seen Bella move, she was up out of her chair and walking towards her car. I jumped up and took off, yelling after her, "Whoa, whoa, whoa…what'd I say? What is it?"

I reached for Bella's wrist and spun her around to face me. She jerked her wrist out of my hand with raging anger on her face. "Let _go!_" she yelled.

My eyes widened; what did I say? We both knew it was true…there was no way the baby was his. Was there? "Wait," I said, this time grabbing her shoulder to keep her facing me. "The baby can't be his," I pointed out, but instead of assurance, my words only had doubt.

"She _is_ his, and why does everyone think I cheated? For once, I'd like someone to just believe me, instead of thinking I'm a goddamn cheater!"

She tried to squirm away from me, but I grabbed both of her shoulders this time, not letting her move one inch. She stopped fighting me long enough to look me in the eyes. She wasn't a cheater…as much as I wish she was, for my sake, she just would never do that, not even for me. I stared at her long and hard, when I finally said, "I'm sorry. I…I do believe you." I was trying to be genuine—based off of her pained expression, I could tell she was growing tired of having her relationship questioned so often.

"No you don't." Her face was set in a knowing expression. She could tell I wasn't completely honest, but I needed some explanation.

I sighed. "Bella, c'mon…he's a _vampire_. Last time I checked, they're dead. Which means no babies…"

"Well, last time _I_ checked, I'm still alive, which means babies for me…apparently." She rolled her eyes and threw her arms up, frustrated. "Listen, I don't really know much about it—none of us do. All I know is I've been with one man and one man only, and he so happens to be my undead husband."

I flinched at her words…she had been with him. It only made sense; they were married now, and that's what married couples did. I dropped my hands from her small shoulders and took a step back, examining her. She was no longer the Bella I had left. She was married, she was no longer pure…she was pregnant. It was as if Bella had aged right in front of my eyes—suddenly, she was an adult in a teenager's body. I knew that's what happened, normal people aged. But not Bella…never Bella. She was supposed to stay the same forever. _No,_ I thought to myself. _That's what the leeches do, and she's not one of them. She ages, she changes…like normal humans._ But even I didn't age; at least, not yet. I wouldn't age until I imprinted, and there was no telling if or when that was going to happen. I wouldn't age…just like _him_. Just like Edward.

I was just like Edward. How could I expect to have a life with Bella? She would grow older, become more mature, as I stayed static—forever an awkward teenager, until I would be forced to leave Bella for my imprint. If I never found an imprint, Bella would leave me behind. She would become old and gray, and after awhile I would be young enough to be considered her child…her _grand_child.

So what had I been asking Bella for all along? I asked her to choose one lifestyle over another, that wasn't much more different than the first. At least with the first lifestyle she would stay forever young with him…no. I couldn't think like that. The first lifestyle—_his_ lifestyle—was never the good option. She may never age, but she wouldn't be Bella…my Bella. But was she even my Bella now? So much time had passed…so many things had happened…

I could feel emotions welling up inside of me, but I forced them back down. I didn't like this conclusion I had come to. I was nothing like that bloodsucker. I was better than him. I would never ask Bella to end her life for me; only I understood how precious it truly was.

I realized I had been standing there, staring at Bella without saying a word. "Well?" she prompted.

"Answer me something. Is it really _your_ choice to become one of them? Or is it his?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "How many times do we have to go over this, Jake? It's _my_ choice. All mine…trust me, it's been a fight for a while now to get Edward on board. He was perfectly content with letting me get all old while he stayed perfect and seventeen."

Now I knew it was true—I was no different than Edward. If he had gotten what he wanted, Bella would be living the same kind of life that she would end up living with me. All this time I had been fighting, but for what? For her? The things I offered were no better than what he offered…if anything, they were worse. Yeah, I could give her a family, but she obviously could have that with Edward too. I couldn't even promise her forever, because as much as I didn't believe it was going to happen, it was still possible that I could imprint. Everything that I had fought so hard for suddenly became useless. I was no better than him. I felt my heart break into a million pieces, each piece slicing my soul.

I stumbled backwards, thrown off by my revelation. "I—I have to…go…" I stammered, turning and running back into the house. I slammed the door behind me, resting my head against the wood. I couldn't deal with this…what did this all mean?

After a few moments I turned and peered through the peephole. I saw the back of Bella as she turned and got into her car. The dust from her car driving away bellowed around the house, leaving the only sign that she was even here—well, that and the new hole in my heart.

--

_AN: Now drop a little note to let me know you're reading! Thanks lovies!_


	14. Meet In The Middle

_AN: Basically, it's not the hokey pokey--YOU GUYS are what it's all about! Thank you SO very much for all the wonderful reviews! I can't thank you guys enough for all the support and encouragement. Sorry it's taken a week to update. I made my way over 6 states in 3 days, and am now at school. Unfortunately, I'm in a program where I have to get training, which is happening ALL this week. My days are pretty busy...but I will find time for this story! The updates might only come about once a week for the next few weeks, but after that hopefully I'll crank 'em out pretty quickly. Don't forget to read and review (although my you, my lovely readers, have been awesome about that! Keep it up!)._

**Disclaimer: Driver's license doesn't say Stephenie Meyer, which means I own nothing (although I do own Liz. Sweet!)**

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**Chapter Fourteen: Meet In The Middle**

The car lurched forward as I had stepped on the gas pedal too quickly. I grumbled and stomped on the gas even harder. I didn't care I was going 20 miles over the speed limit. I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, and hopefully never see it again. I was _done_. I was done with Jacob, with La Push, with those damn wolves. The car sped down the small road towards my house, the dirt and gravel flying up with each turn.

I finally pulled up to the long driveway of the huge house, but I didn't pull it into the garage. I cut the engine quickly and I slammed the car door behind me.

After I had walked up to the front door, I swung it open wide, storming in.

"I can't _believe_ him!" I shouted to no one in particular. I threw my purse down in the foyer, the contents spilled out over the light tile. Edward was waiting in the living room, the typical worried look on his face.

"What happened?" he asked.

I walked up to him and threw my arms around his waist. His cold arms reciprocated, as he pulled me close to his chest. He kissed my forehead as one hand started rubbing softly along my back.

"Jacob is a moron, that's what happened," I grumbled, my words muffled by his shirt.

Edward pulled away slightly, lifting my face up to look at him directly. A small smile played on his lips. "We've seemed to establish that, but what happened just now?"

I moaned. "Nothing! I told him everything…the wedding, Liz…everything. Out of nowhere, he just turned and left me! He didn't explain himself or anything! I can't believe him," I repeated.

Before Edward could respond, I felt a buzzing come from his pocket. He pulled his small cell phone out of his pocket and snapped it open.

"Hello?"

"_Hey Edward, it's Seth,"_ I could hear from the other end.

Edward sighed heavily. "Hi Seth. How are you?"

"_Eh…you know. So I've heard that you know Jacob's back."_

"Unfortunately," Edward snorted. His eyes quickly darted down to mine as I copied his snort.

"_Listen, I'm sorry about all this…see, I didn't tell them about Liz. I just figured it wasn't my place to tell them…"_

"No, Seth, that's fine. I understand that," he answered.

"_Well the pack doesn't seem to. They're really pissed at me for not telling them—especially Jake. I was calling you about that, actually. Sam wants to set up a meeting between us, to discuss Liz."_

Edward nodded even though Seth couldn't see his answer. "Alright, fair enough. When?"

"_Tonight, at the boundary lines. Say midnight?"_

Edward looked down at me. "Bella, is that too late for you? I know you're tired…"

I waved my hand, shrugging him off. "No, it's fine. Besides, I kind of need to be there."

"Okay, Seth. Tonight, midnight, at the boundary lines. See you there," Edward said into the phone.

"_Okay, see ya then! Oh, and tell everyone I said hi. Hope they're doing well."_

"Thank you Seth, I'll be sure to tell them. See you tonight. Bye," and with that he closed his phone shut, turning his full attention back onto me.

"You should probably take a nap or something…you're going to be up way past your usual bedtime," Edward cooed softly. His fingers ran through my hair, already lulling me to sleep.

I rested my head against his cold chest as I closed my eyes. Sometimes I wish I could just fall asleep and wake up and all this would be over. I would have my baby and I would become a vampire—why did those two things seem so far away and unreachable?

Without a word, Edward lifted me up and carried me to our room. By the time my head had hit the pillow, I was already hovering between dreams and reality. I fell into a deep sleep, trying to rest up as much as possible for tonight. Even though Seth hadn't specifically said what all we were going to discuss in the meeting, I knew it was going to be draining.

--

I pulled the coat around my body even tighter, as we waited for the pack to show up. It was pitch black outside, and freezing cold. I bounced my body slightly, trying to create any kind of heat for myself.

"I shouldn't have let you come. You could get sick," Edward worried. He stood next to me, although he was sure to keep some distance between us to keep me from completely freezing.

"I'm fine." I tried to force my teeth to stop chattering, but it was impossible. Where were they?

"Why don't you go sit in the car while we wait for them?" Edward suggested as he nodded his head towards his Volvo.

I didn't need prompting; he threw me the keys, and I took off towards the car that was parked a few feet away. I started the car up and cranked the heat up to full blast. It felt like my whole body was melting as the hot air blasted against my face. I let out a breath of air, soaking up the heat.

"Better?"

I practically jumped out of my skin. Edward was sitting in the driver's seat, a huge grin on his face.

"You scared me half to death!" I scolded. "I didn't even hear the door open…"

"Sorry," he apologized, but his grin was still on his face. "Are you better?"

I nodded. "Much, thank you. It was so cold…" I trailed off.

Edward laughed. "You sleep with me every night; you think you would be used to the cold by now."

"You would think!" I huffed sarcastically. I picked up his hand that had been resting on my knee, and kissed his middle knuckle. I turned to him with a semi-serious expression. "Honestly, I don't think I'll ever get used to the fact that I get to sleep with you every night, for forever," I said with a small smile.

He leaned over and kissed me straight on the lips. "I know what you mean." His voice was lower—rougher. I usually only heard that voice when we were…

His lips against mine cut off my thoughts, as he grabbed the back of my neck, pulling me forward. I ran my fingers through his wild hair, feeling his tongue graze against my bottom lip. I moaned; I love feeling his tongue. It sent small tremors all over my body, making me feel like I was on fire. He pulled his lips from mine, moving them down the side of my jaw down to my neck.

"Too many clothes…" he muttered as he pushed my jacket off of my shoulder. He pulled the neck of my shirt down a little so he could taste my skin right around my collarbone; I let my head fall back and groaned again with my eyes closed. I moved my hand over to his chest, lifting up his shift far enough up so I could feel his cold skin. I let my fingers trail across the ridges of his abdominal muscles as Edward pulled my head back down to kiss me on the lips again. Edward started to move his body up off of the seat, hovering over the center console in the car, when a quick tap came from my window.

I jumped, dropping my hand from Edward's chest. I turned to look out the window, and saw Emmett with his hands up against the window, peering in.

"They're here," Edward groaned. Of course…just when things were getting good…

I unwillingly got out of the warm car and back into the frigid cold air. We walked back over to where we were standing before, only this time several wolves stood where there had only been darkness before. One paced back and forth, and by the shaggy fur I could tell it was Jacob.

"Shall we get started?" Carlisle began. He stepped forward towards the group, and at the same time Sam mirrored his action.

"We want to know everything about the baby," Edward said, but I could tell those weren't his words, because he used the pack plural.

Edward then looked over at me as I shivered in my jacket. "Do you want to explain, or do you want me to?"

"Doesn't matter," I chattered out through my teeth.

Edward looked back towards Sam and cleared his throat. "Well, all that we know about her is from what Alice saw. Where do you want me to begin?" A pause came while Edward listened to Sam's thoughts. "We're still not completely sure. Our currently theory is that it happened the same way it does for humans…only with minor differences." Edward paused, and began his explanation of what we believed to have happened. I blushed a deep red; this was more information than I really wanted them to know.

Edward finished speaking, listening to whatever the pack was thinking. "Um, yeah."

I flickered my eyes between the pack and Edward nervously. "What'd they ask Edward?"

"He noted…that I said _half_ human." He looked back over to the pack. "They want to know what the other half is."

"Vampire," I said matter-of-factly. The wolves began to move nervously, as Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. "Whoa, one at a time, please," he requested.

He held his hands out in a defensive position. "Slow down…yes, I understand…no, I know…please, just…_stop_." His eyes narrowed as he glared at the pack. "I can't take it if all of you are yelling at once. Let me explain."

"What's wrong?" Esme asked nervously.

Edward exhaled. "We…we broke the treaty," he barely said loud enough for me to hear.

"Well, _that's_ been established," I commented facetiously.

"No, Bella. You went onto their land." Edward looked at me frustrated. "According to _them_," he said gesturing towards the wolves, "a vampire has crossed the treaty line and onto their land."

I saw Sam slightly back away from where he had been standing, and I noticed the rest of the pack follow his lead. I eyed all of them, searching for something. What did this mean?

"No…no, that shouldn't count," I rushed. "She's…she's not even born yet! She's _inside_ a human, so it shouldn't count. Besides, she's only half…"

"We don't care!" Edward shouted at me. I flinched back away from Edward's fierce gaze, but instantly his eyes softened. He put a hand on my shoulder, saying, "Bella, I'm sorry…that was them…I'm sorry." He turned his head to look at the pack. "Stop. Thinking. For one second, _please._" He paused for a second, trying to gather himself together.

"Edward," I whispered. I carefully placed my hand on his chest, as I spoke, "Edward. What does this mean?"

He took a deep breath before he began. "I don't know exactly. I think…I think it's time."

"Time for what?"

Edward turned to the wolf pack, speaking to them instead of me. "It's time we discuss the treaty."

--

**EPOV**

"_There's no discussion. You broke our treaty, and you know what that means,_" Sam thought.

For once, the rest of the pack was silent. I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to figure out a plan as quickly as possible. They were right—we did technically violate the terms, but this was a situation that none of us could ever have planned on.

"Yes, I know what that means," I responded to Sam, "but things are different now. Our…situation…wasn't accommodated for within the treaty."

It was silent for a second as Sam tried to refute. "_Regardless, vampire was on our land, end of story."_

"No," I said forcefully, "it's _not_ end of story. You all very well know it was an accident. It's not like she was there to cause harm."

"_Doesn't mean she didn't…"_ Jacob thought bitterly.

"_Jacob, don't bring your personal life into this,_" Sam snapped. He mentally sighed, before continuing on. "_Look, I realize this was all unexpected. However, I can't just let this go. It was an obvious violation of the treaty, and I won't stand for it._"

My mind raced with thoughts and ideas coming from every wolf and vampire that stood around me.

"_Can I speak to them_?" I could barely sort out Carlisle's thoughts over the packs, but I nodded in his direction giving him permission. Carlisle turned to the pack and stepped forward.

"Sam, I can assure you we mean no harm. Trust me, I understand how valuable the treaty is. Keeping the peace between us is a very high priority of mine, and I know that my family, along with myself, will do anything to make sure things are well between us. You're right for being upset—in all technicalities there was a violation of the boundary lines. However, it was completely unintentional. See, we're still somewhat baffled by the whole situation to begin with and the logistics of what it exactly means to be half vampire and half human are unclear. I just want you to be aware that we would never intentionally violate the treaty and cross the boundary lines."

"_But you would intentionally violate the treaty and kill Bella!"_ Jacob shouted in my head. I could feel a deep growl come up within me, but whether it was from Jacob's anger or my own I couldn't be sure.

"_Jacob, shut up _now_,"_ Sam ordered. He turned his black eyes from Jacob, back to me. "_I believe him. I believe that you want to protect the treaty as much as we do, but like I said…I can't just let this go."_

"Then maybe we need to amend the treaty," I retorted.

"_Maybe you're right,"_ Sam thought quietly. Murmurs echoed through everyone's thoughts, which showed me no one was fully comfortable for this yet. I knew we needed to discuss the treaty, but I was expecting this to all happen at a later time—at a time when we were all more prepared. I knew there would be things we needed to compromise on. There would be things _they_ would have to give up, and there would be things _we_ would have to give up…the problem was, I didn't know what I was willing to give up just now.

I knew I needed to buy us more time so we could discuss this as a family. "Um…we shouldn't do this now. I don't think it would be…fair to anyone to leave me as the sole communicator. You need to be able to speak for yourselves," I stalled.

"_I agree. We need to meet again, all of us in our human form,_" Sam thought after a brief hesitation. He glanced back at the other wolves, trying to decide when and where the discussion would take place.

"What's going on?" Jasper asked while Sam was speaking with the other wolves.

"We're going to meet again to discuss the treaty, this time when they're in human form," I recapped.

"Why don't we meet at the house? You know…somewhere a little less…outdoors?" Bella suggested. She hesitated when every set of eyes snapped to her face, but with a serious expression she said, "you know, not all of us here are completely immune to the weather. I'm freezing over here!"

I laughed as she tightened her gray jacket around her body. "Bella, you can wait in the car if you'd like. We're just going to work out small details," I suggested. She scanned everyone's face, and with a quick nod she turned back to the car and got in.

I heard a mental sigh come from Sam. _"Alright. We'll meet at your house tomorrow. Noon, perhaps?"_

I nodded. "Sounds fine. We'll see you then," and with that the giant wolves ran back into the dark forest. I turned to my family. "Tomorrow at noon, they'll be at our house. Before then…we need to talk."

"When we get back," Carlisle suggested.

I looked back at my car; the silhouette of Bella was huddled forward towards the heater. I smiled to myself, "No. Not tonight…Bella needs rest, but she needs to be included. Tomorrow morning, before the wolves come."

"Okay. We'll see you at the house," Carlisle responded. Everyone took off in the opposite direction, towards the house. Even though it would have been a lot quicker for me to just run to our meeting and carry Bella, I had insisted on driving. I loved spending time in the car with her…it was some of the few times my mind was silent except for my own thoughts.

When I got into the car, I could tell Bella was nearing sleep. Her head was propped up against the headrest; her eyes flickered trying to stay open. "Let's go home," she mumbled.

I smiled to myself. "Let's." The drive back was quiet and I knew Bella had already fallen asleep. I was worried about tomorrow—there was so much we had to discuss with the treaty. I wasn't quite ready to determine the specifics about Bella's change. To be honest, I wasn't quite ready for Bella's change at all. I glanced down at her belly; the small baby bump was visible even under her clothing. I reached over and rested my hand on her stomach as I drove down the dark road towards our home. There was a lot about our future that I wasn't sure if I was ready for, but I knew I was ready for this. I was ready to be the best husband and father I could possibly be.


	15. Under Pressure

_AN: Sorry it took me so long to update! Today is actually first day of classes at my college, so things have been a little crazy around here. I was a little disappointed with the review turnout...makes me sad inside. BUT, there is a way you can fix that! Please PLEASE just drop a review after you're done reading! Even if it's just to let me know SOMEONE is reading...that would be super!_

_This chapter is shorter...sorry. I kinda wrote myself into a corner, but I'm working my way out of it. Things will pick up shortly, I promise! _

**Disclaimer: Still own nothing. Stephenie is master of all.**

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**Chapter Fifteen: Under Pressure**

**BPOV**

I awoke earlier than I imagined I would. I was up so late last night, I figured I would sleep half the day away, but when I rolled over on my side to glance at the clock, it only read 8:30 am. I groaned and rolled back onto my other side, to find I was alone.

I propped myself up in bed to look around the room, but it was empty. Where was Edward? Usually if he left to go hunting or something, he would leave a note, but there was nothing. I threw the covers off of me and headed down the stairs, still in my pajamas.

"Edward?" I called as I walked down the last step and into the living room.

"We're in here, Bella," Edward called from the dining room. When I walked in, I saw the whole family sitting at the underused dining table. Worry was a common expression among my family at that particular moment.

"What's going on?" I questioned nervously.

Edward turned to look at me and patted the seat next to him. "Come, sit," he suggested.

I walked over and sat down next to him in the large chair, still unsure of why everyone looked so nervous. Edward leaned over and kissed me on the forehead, but then turned back to the family.

"What's going on?" I repeated. I looked at each one of them in the face, trying to read their expressions.

"We're just discussing what we want to cover in the treaty for later today," Alice explained.

I nodded my head knowingly as I propped my elbows up on the table. "What _do_ we want to cover exactly?"

Edward exhaled, before he began. "Well, we need to talk about the baby," he said with a tense appearance, "…and your change."

My eyes widened slightly. I knew we were going to have to talk about it eventually, but I thought we would at least have the next few months until I gave birth. I was ready to be turned, that much was true, but setting a date…that just made it so much more final. "Oh," I managed to spit out.

"If you don't want to talk about it…" Edward must have picked up on my slight hesitation. That would only feed his anxiety over the matter, so I had to squash that feeling immediately.

"No! I mean…I'm ready. We need to talk about it," I said to Edward along with the rest of the family.

"First," Carlisle interjected, "we need to cover the most immediate issue. Now, the pack is pretty upset about the violation of the boundary lines, so we need to figure out what we're going to do about that."

"It shouldn't matter," Emmett commented, "they're being nit-picky. It's not like one of _us_ crossed the line."

Carlisle nodded towards Emmett. "I understand, and personally I agree, but the pack does not. It matters to them, so we need to talk about it regardless."

"So, what? Should we make an amendment specifying how _much_ of a vampire the subject needs to be?" Jasper asked.

There was a pause as we all thought this over. "Makes sense to me," Carlisle finally said. "Yes, we'll ask for an amendment. The boundary lines should only apply to _full_ vampires, and not _half_."

"They're not going to go for that," I retorted. Everyone turned their eyes to me as I spoke up. "They don't care how much of 'the subject' is vampire. To them, a vampire is a vampire, regardless."

"She's right," Esme agreed.

Carlisle sighed as he rested against the back of his chair. "Then what do we do?"

Another silence sprung up at the table. My mind raced with different ways we could get around the issue. I knew they would never go for what Carlisle already proposed, so any amendment that even resembled that wouldn't work. The only chance of the pack agreeing to anything was if whatever we amended was permanent and indefinite.

"I can't go back," I whispered. Everyone turned their heads towards me again. I hated when they did that…it's like their eyes put this huge spotlight on me. "I can't go back. The only thing the pack will go for is something that's…I don't know…eternal? We'll simply ask them to overlook what happened earlier in exchange for amending the treaty to state that my child will never cross the boundary line."

"So, basically we'll ask them to forgive and forget as long as we promise to never do it again? I hardly believe that's going to work," Rosalie snidely remarked.

"I can't ask you to do that, Bella. I know you have…friends on the reservation," Edward said softly.

I turned to look at Edward in the eyes. "Well, it's not like they can't cross the boundary line or anything. If they're my friends, they'll come to me. I don't have to always go to them. And Rosalie," I said, now looking her in the face, "that's exactly what I'm proposing. Isn't that sort of what the original treaty was in the first place? Forgive and forget and keep the secret, as long as you promise to never cross the line again?"

"In a nut shell," Carlisle commented sarcastically. "Bella…it could work. It worked the first time."

"They're not too fond of second chances though, Carlisle," Jasper added, "and by asking this of them, we're asking for a second chance. Who's to say they'll go for it this time like they did the last?"

"No one knows. But honestly, it's all I can think of right now," Carlisle said exasperated.

"But they'll want something more," Edward threw in. "According to them, we broke the treaty. We can't just expect them to go along with what we want without something else in return."

"Maybe expand the boundary line?" Emmett suggested.

Edward shook his head. "No. They don't want more land."

"Well, what the hell _do_ they want?" Emmett raised his voice.

Slowly, each set of eyes turned towards me. I stared back at all of them, not sure why they were looking at me…oh. "They want me to stay human," I acknowledged. I looked down at the table and folded my hands in my lap. Edward's cold hand slid over mine and squeezed reassuringly.

"As much as I have fought, that's out of the question. I'll make sure that doesn't happen," Edward assured unwillingly. I looked him in the eyes, and I could see how difficult it was for him to say that. He was right—he had fought long and hard to keep me human. I could see resignation and defeat in his eyes, because he had finally confirmed to me that I _would_ be turned.

After all that had happened with us—our compromise about the wedding, the baby—it kind of scared me that my immortality was still a little up in the air. But now, Edward had promised me it would happen. I couldn't help but smile at him, even though I knew I was forcing him to do something he didn't necessarily want to do.

Carlisle's words interrupted my thoughts. "That's another thing we have to discuss. You know they're not going to budge on their stance of you changing, Bella."

I sighed. "I know, but they're going to have to if they want to do this…civilized."

"What in our history makes you think they're _civilized_? They're dogs…" Rosalie snipped.

"Seth isn't like them," Edward defended. I chuckled to myself at these words. Edward defending a werewolf…never in my life would I have thought that possible. I looked at everyone else, and they seemed just as surprised as I was. Edward shrugged. "He's not…maybe we could talk to him?"

"But he's not the Alpha," I pointed out. "It doesn't matter how much we convince him of what we want to happen, because he's not the one we need on our side. We need Sam."

There was another pause for reflection on what had been said and what needed to be said. Suddenly, Emmett slammed his hand on the table, making a sharp cracking noise as the wood started to split.

"Damn it! I say screw the treaty! We haven't had a good fight in awhile…"

"No," Carlisle said forcefully. "We will avoid fighting as much as possible. They were our allies when we had none. I refuse to let certain technicalities get in the way."

"Let me talk to Sam," Edward calmly said. "Before we discuss the little details, let me talk to Sam, alone."

I furrowed my eyebrows, trying to understand what he had planned. I saw the same expression on his face that he got whenever his decision was made. He was going to talk to Sam, regardless of what any of us said, and he had a plan on what exactly he was going to say.

I moved my hand on top of his and stroked it gently. His eyes fell on mine, and I smiled slightly up at him. "Okay," I agreed quietly. I turned to look at the rest of the family. "Let Edward talk with Sam. Then we'll figure out the small stuff."

"What are you going to say?" Jasper inquired.

"I'd rather keep that between Sam and I," Edward said monotonously. He quickly turned his attention back to me. "You need to get ready, they'll be here in a few hours."

Although I knew Edward only meant for me to get dressed and presentable, his words weighed heavily on me. I knew I needed to get ready—to be prepared—but I feared I wouldn't be. If Edward's talk with Sam didn't work, then we were basically screwed. We had nothing really to offer to the wolves, and they had so much to take away from us. I told myself I would try my hardest to make sure we wouldn't have to fight, but there were too many people on both sides too eager for a war. The bridge between the wolves and vampires was a shaky one, and with one misstep, the bottom could fall out from underneath us. I didn't like knowing that things were so unstable; it didn't leave much room for confidence.

As I took a shower and got ready for the meeting to come, I kept trying to think positive. I had to be sure of my decision, and I had to be sure of Edward. Whatever he was planning on saying to Sam would work. Sam would understand Edward a little better, and maybe understand the situation a little better as well. Edward would pull through for the rest of us. I felt guilty placing so much responsibility on one person, but if anyone could handle it, it was Edward. He could do this. He _would_ do this.


	16. Home Sweet Home

_AN: Thank you guys AGAIN for all the lovely reviews! I was sad inside from the chapter before last's review numbers, but you guys made me feel better with the last chapter. Thank you again for all the kind words and encouragement!_

_So, this is my longest chapter by far, and it was the one that gave me the most difficulty. I got Writer's Block about halfway through, so I apologize for it not necessarily being the most coherent. I grew a little tired of the serious tone it was taking, and I just wanted to write something fun...alas, this chapter isn't fun. BUT, next chapter is! It'll definitely lighten the mood after this one...however, things needed to be taken care of, the plot needed to move forward, thus the long chapter._

_Okay, I just rattled off up there. Sorry about that. Enjoy! Read and review PLEASE! I know it's a little more difficult, what with school starting, summer being over and whatnot, but any comments are appreciated! And I mean ANY!_

**Disclaimer: If I were Stephenie, I wouldn't be a struggling, poor college student living in a 12ft x 12ft room right about now. But I am. Thus, not Stephenie.**

--

**Chapter Sixteen: Home Sweet Home**

I absent-mindedly rubbed my growing belly as I sat on the couch, waiting for any sign of the wolves to be here. They were late, which drove me crazy; why didn't they understand that being on time was important? Well, it was important for me anyways. Edward sat next to me on the couch, one hand on my thigh, while he drummed his fingers on his other hand. I glanced sideways at him—he looked about as impatient as I was.

A thought suddenly struck me. "You know," I said quietly to Edward, even though I knew the whole house could hear, "we haven't really discussed what's going to happen after I have the baby."

Edward looked over at me with confusion on his face. "Well, I thought…I thought you wanted to be changed then."

"No, I do, I mean we haven't discussed the living arrangement. What are we going to do about Charlie?" I knew I didn't have to go into more detail, because Edward understood exactly.

"Well, we can't go about this how we originally planned, obviously. I just don't think I could risk staying here…what if you have…trouble adjusting?"

"I know, I don't feel comfortable with it either. I can't be close enough to family and friends when I'm a newborn; it's too big of a danger. But we can't just leave Charlie…he'll be suspicious."

Edward sighed. "I know, I know," he mumbled as he ran his fingers through his wild hair. He looked at me exasperated. "Man…there's so much to think about, you know?"

I smirked. "Yeah. It's kind of odd to think that not too long ago we were saying how low-key things were around here."

Edward chuckled. "Didn't I tell you? I knew we'd find _something_ to get ourselves into," he commented sarcastically.

At that moment, Edward's body stiffened and the rest of the family appeared by the door within a moment. _It's about time,_ I thought to myself. Carlisle had the door open before Sam and the others had reached the front porch.

"Welcome," he said warmly. "Please, come in," he waved his hand, ushering the pack in. Hesitantly, one by one, they crossed the threshold. "Can I get you anything?" Carlisle asked, always being the perfect host.

Sam eyed him suspiciously. "Um, no," he replied bluntly.

"Very well. Edward?" Carlisle asked, turning to face us on the couch. Edward nodded quietly when he stood up.

"Sam, could I have a word with you before we begin, please?"

Sam's eyes narrowed, unsure of what to do. He looked between Carlisle and Edward, before shrugging. "Sure," he finally answered.

Edward quickly leaned over, kissed me on the forehead, and walked out of the front door with Sam quickly on his heels. Seth, Paul, Embry, Quil and Jacob all stood in the entrance, obviously uncomfortable.

"Please, have a seat," Esme offered, waving towards the couches. Seth was the first to move from the foyer, as he plopped his giant body next to me. I grinned up at him.

"Hey, Bella. How goes it?" he asked while he patted my belly.

"Good…we're good," I replied while rubbing my baby bump. "How are you, Seth?"

"Can't complain," he said with a shrug. He turned and eyed the plasma TV that sat in front of the couch. He looked over at Esme. "You mind?" he asked, thumbing towards the TV.

"No, go right ahead," she said warmly. Seth grabbed the remote and flipped the TV on, surfing the channels until he found a sports game he was looking for. Men and their sports…

"Go…go, go, GO!" Seth started shouting at the TV as a football player ran into the end zone. Suddenly, Emmett was standing behind the couch, his hands gripping the back of the sofa.

"Oh, man! That was great!" Emmett shouted with a huge grin on his face. He looked down at Seth at the same time Seth looked up at him.

"You a fan?" Seth asked.

"Yeah," Emmett replied as he moved over and sat on the couch between Seth and me. I couldn't help but laugh—mention any kind of sports and Emmett was your new best friend. Although, it was pretty hard not being friendly with Seth…he just had that kind of personality.

I glanced behind me and saw the other pack members still standing in the foyer. I raised my eyebrows up at them. "You know, you guys _can_ sit down," I said waving to the couch.

They all exchanged questioning looks, until Jacob finally took a step forward. He looked at me fiercely, and I could tell something about earlier was still bothering him. "Can we talk?"

I inhaled sharply, before nodding. "Yeah," I said as I propelled myself off the couch, "follow me."

I walked up the stairs with Jacob following behind me. I could tell he was impatient with how slowly I was moving, but three flights of stairs was no easy feat for a pregnant klutz such as myself. I walked into my and Edward's bedroom, and shut the door behind Jacob once he was inside. "What's up?" I asked nervously.

His eyes took in the entire bedroom, running over the CDs along the wall, the leather couch, and finally landed on the bed. His eyes narrowed, and I couldn't help but blush. "So, this is where the magic happens?" he asked sarcastically, walking over to the bed and running his fingers along the gold comforter. Thank God I had actually made the bed up this morning.

"Not funny," I shot back. He turned around to look at me, and I crossed my arms. "Are you going to talk, or are we going to sit here and hope I develop the ability to read your mind?"

He picked his fingers up off the bed, and walked over to the wall of CDs. With a whistle, he said, "Wow. Vamp's got a lot of music here."

I rolled my eyes as I moved towards the door. "You know, I don't have time for this and my feet hurt…" I trailed off.

"Wait, wait!" Jacob ran over and grabbed my arm, stopping me from leaving. He sighed, "No, we need to talk."

I arched my eyebrow. "Then do it."

He released my arm and moved towards the couch. I followed behind him and lowered myself down, feeling the instant relief of being off my feet. He eyed the couch nervously, but continued to stand in front of me.

"Look," he began, as he stuffed his hands in his pants pocket, "I'm…sorry."

My eyes bugged. "You're _sorry_?" I paused for a moment. "Can I get that in writing, or maybe say it again but let me record it this time…"

"Bella, I'm serious," he said crossly. I examined his face, and I saw no trace of humor in it. He really was sorry…but for what?

"I don't understand."

He sighed again, this time running his fingers through his hair. It was odd how he and Edward had some of the same mannerisms. "I'm sorry for not being your friend." His eyes drooped slightly, and I knew whatever he was about to explain had been weighing him down. "I've been thinking—a _lot_—about you and me and what this," he said indicating my baby bump, "all means. I…well, what I mean is…ugh!" He threw his hands in the air and puffed out; unable to find the words he was trying to say.

This bothered me slightly, because it was never difficult for Jacob to talk to me. Sometimes I hated that, because some things didn't need to be said, but he never hesitated. I wasn't sure if I was ready to hear what he was going to say, but I hoped for our sakes that it wouldn't completely ruin what little bit of a relationship we had left.

"Jacob," I encouraged softly. "Just tell me. It's okay."

He quickly sat down on the ground, cross-legged, in front of me. It was odd that, even though I was sitting on the couch and he on the ground, his eye level matched mine perfectly. "I shouldn't have fought for you. I wasn't being fair…I didn't know what I wanted out of everything, I just knew I wanted you. I was only ever making things more difficult for you." He looked at me directly in the eyes, searching for something.

I didn't know what to say; I didn't know how I should respond. "Go on," I squeaked out.

He looked down at his hands folded in his lap. "You see…God, I can't believe I'm saying this…but _Edward_ and I aren't that different."

My eyes widened as I raised my eyebrows in shock. "That's a first…" I mumbled.

"Tell me about it," he muttered back. He raised his eyes back up at me. "But seriously, the things that we want in life…that we _need_…they're not different, if you think about it. I wanted you. I _still_ want you, but I know now I could never want you for the right reasons. I was so sure…" he said muttered the last part, more to himself than to me. "I was so sure of what I knew. _He_ was in the wrong. _He_ was the one that would hurt you in the end. _He_ was the one that would only make you unhappy. But I realized that that wasn't so true. You remember that time in the tent, when the newborns were here?"

I rolled my eyes. "How could I forget?" I asked facetiously.

"Well, when you were sleeping, Edward and I…had a little talk, I guess you could say. Something he said to me hit me the other day. I…I could never be with you, in the end."

"What do you mean?"

"What if you chose me? We could be together, and be happy, but what if I imprinted? Then where would that leave you?"

Seeing the sadness on his face made me want to argue with him, and tell him he was wrong. I would have been happy, and that was that. I felt like I should have comforted him, but if I had I would only be denying what I had already feared. He was right—what if I had chosen him, but fate chose someone else for him? He would have no choice; he would have to leave me. We could have been happy together, but I knew that happiness was only temporary. I knew my happiness with Edward was eternal—I could spend the rest of my existence with him, never fearing that fate might have taken him away from me at some point.

"That would leave me alone," I whispered. His eyes glistened from tears that were forming. Tears sprung up in my own eyes, seeing the pain that my words had caused him.

"I'm sorry for…for not being able to offer you more," he finally responded. "I'm sorry for making you believe you had another choice. I guess in reality, there was no other choice—it was always going to be Edward for you, wasn't it?"

"Yes," I breathed, a sob catching in my throat.

"Maybe not right away, but after I would have had to leave you…he was always going to be there for you. He told me so, that night in the tent. He told me he would always wait for you…"

The tears escaped from my eyes, rolling down my cheeks silently. Jacob's last words only made me feel like I didn't deserve Edward even more. This beautiful man…my _husband_…would have always waited for me, even if I chose another man over him. I knew he loved me, and I didn't doubt it. But hearing those words come from the one person who I knew liked Edward the least…well, that just put a new spin on everything.

"Because he loves me," I responded back after a few seconds. I said this more to myself, than to Jacob, but the impact was the same on both of us.

"Because he loves you…he loves you, and he can give you so much more than I can. I could never promise forever, because I didn't have forever to give. I could only promise _some_ time…he can give you more…" he repeated.

"What does this all mean?" I asked.

A small smile hinted on his lips. "It means that…you and him…_this_," he indicated my belly, "…it's going to be okay. I can't promise you that I'm going to like your decision to become one of _them_, but I can promise you that I'll be the best friend you've ever had until then."

I mirrored his smile. "I'd like my best friend back."

"Me too," he responded gently. He reached over and took my hand in his. The heat from his skin blazed on mine as I he gently rubbed circles on the top of my hand with his thumb. "I swear to you, Isabella _Cullen_, that you will always be in my heart. You've changed me in ways I couldn't imagine, and you've given me so much. Now, I want to give you this. I want to make an oath to you that I will be your best friend until the day your heart stops beating."

I grinned at his words. "Well put, Shakespeare."

Jacob snorted in return. "That's Vamp's job, not mine." He grinned back at me with a new, happier glint in his eyes.

I rolled my eyes at him. "If you're going to be my best friend again, you better start using his name…and don't say it like it's a curse or something. Edward…Edward…say it with me…"

"_Edward,_" he repeated, mocking my tone of voice. I couldn't help but laugh along with Jacob.

At that moment, I realized that maybe the discussion we were about to have with the pack would go easier than I had expected. Jacob was now obviously on our side, as was Seth. If whatever Edward was saying to Sam worked, maybe there would be no war…maybe we could be friends, even after I was changed. I wanted that more than words could say, but I didn't want to push Jacob. I knew it took a lot for him to come here and open up the way he did, and at the moment I just wanted to enjoy the peace we had finally established between us. My best friend was _definitely_ back, and I had no intention of ever giving him up.

--

**EPOV**

I made sure that we were far enough away from the house to where I couldn't hear their thoughts, and they couldn't hear us. I wanted this conversation to be completely between Sam and I, but that was difficult with as little privacy as we have in our family. At the present moment, we were standing along the dirt road that led up to our driveway, and as Sam scanned the surrounding area, I cleared my throat.

"Thank you, for agreeing to speak with me," I began. "I know it was asking a lot of you to come here in the first place."

"Sure," Sam said absentmindedly as his continued to dart around. _I don't see anything…_

"I'm not setting you up, Sam," I assured. I could tell from the worried note in his thoughts that he wondered if this was all a ploy.

He eyed me suspiciously. "What'd you want to say?" he asked sharply.

I cleared my throat a second time before I began. I had gone over in my mind what I wanted to say earlier, but I knew this was my only shot to hopefully convince Sam of changing the treaty. "As you know, we were going to discuss the baby…and Bella's transformation."

"Yeah, what about it?" he snipped.

"Being able to read minds has given me an interesting insight into your pack. The dynamic is unlike anything I've ever seen before, but I have a better understanding of some things than most people. Take imprinting as an example—"

Sam shot me a dirty look. "What does imprinting have to do with anything?"

"Look, I'm just trying to explain something to you. I know that you don't understand Bella's choice in her future, and quite frankly I don't fully understand it either. I tried—_hard_—to get her to realize how big of a sacrifice this life is. She's insistent that she knows what she wants. I love Bella…more than anything in this entire world…I would do anything, _give_ anything to her, even if it's something that I don't necessarily want to give. I know you've felt the same way. That's what imprinting does to you, isn't it?"

I paused, trying to gauge Sam's reaction. His thoughts were jumbled and incoherent, so I continued on. "I know that's how it is for you, because I've seen it in your thoughts. There's that draw…that undeniable gravitational force that feels like it almost _literally_ draws you to your imprint. I know, based off of what I've seen and heard, I know that you would do anything for Emily. You even left your first love for her…"

"Don't bring Leah or Emily into this!" he snapped. I took a step back from him with my arms up in a surrendered fashion.

"I'm sorry, forgive me. I overstepped…but please try to understand. That physical and emotional pull that you have for Emily…that's exactly what I have for Bella. I don't necessarily _want_ to damn her to this kind of life…but because it's what she wants, I feel I _need_ to. It breaks me more to not give her what she wants than to see her having to live this kind of life."

I noticed a slight shift in Sam's facial expression. _My relationship with Emily is _nothing_ like yours_, he thought angrily.

"I know. It's quite different, that's true. But I know you understand what love does to someone."

_So you want me to just let you kill her, because you so-called "love" her?_

I let out an unnecessary breath. "Trust me, Sam, if there were any other way around it, I would try to find it and convince her otherwise."

"There is another way. Let her live," he said matter-of-factly.

I snickered. "I wish it were that simple. Her becoming a vampire is undisputable. It's just a matter of who instigates it…"

Sam's eyes crinkled. "What does that mean?"

I ran my fingers through my hair before explaining. "Do you remember when Bella left for Italy? For me?" I paused as Sam nodded. "Well, while we were there…we made a deal. It's a long and complicated story, but basically there's a family that is the enforcer of the rules that exist within our world."

_You have rules?_ Sam's thought interrupted me.

"Yes, of course we have rules…well, one actually. We must protect our secret."

Sam started pacing in front of me as he absorbed the new information. His thoughts were running over what I had said and what this all meant. "I'm trying to explain…you see, the family found out that Bella knew about our secret, which is a violation of our law. She was sentenced to death…" I shuddered at the thought. I had seen in Caius's thoughts that he was all too eager to destroy Bella. To know that I was so close to losing Bella, mere seconds after I had finally gotten my love back.

_Sentenced to death? Because she knew about you?_

"Yes, Sam. So, we made a deal. She could walk away from Volterra as long as she was to become one of us."

Sam stopped short in front of me, interrupting his pacing. Deep concentration set on his face. "So…break the deal. Who cares?"

I shook my head. "You don't understand…it's not like that. They'll come here to see if we've held up our end of the deal. If she's still human when they get here…" I shook at the thought. "If she's still human, she dies. We all do; even you, Sam." My words broke when I spoke to Sam, the mere idea of losing my precious love made it feel like the world would close in on me. "They'll know about your involvement, and they'll kill you. Chances are, they wouldn't even stop with just the pack. They'd kill your families for knowing about us and our secret."

I could hear my words echo in Sam's thoughts as he processed all I had told him. "They'll…kill…all of us?" he stuttered.

All I could do was nod my head. I hated saying the words once; I doubted I could repeat them. I was so angry with myself—for involving Bella, for involving Sam…for basically giving half the town of Forks a death sentence.

Sam hesitantly took a shaky breath. "So…what now?"

As I stared down at the soft ground below me, I knew my last chance at any hope of peace was here. If Sam chose to not agree to our terms, there would be war. "Now…Bella _has_ to become one of us. Please," I begged softly, "you've been excellent allies. I can't have us fighting…it would hurt Bella so much…I'll do anything." I looked at Sam pleadingly. "I'll do anything to save my love."

A few moments passed as Sam reflected on what I had just asked. I could see that he knew we were good allies, despite how much it pained both of us to say so. Images of Emily, Leah, Jacob, they all flashed in his mind, one right after the other. Sam and I weren't incredibly different—we both we leaders, and we would do _anything_ to protect the ones we loved, even from ourselves.

"I've taken what you have told me very seriously, Edward. I'll be sure to consider it during our negotiations, inside," Sam finally spoke, eyeing the house behind me.

It wasn't the exact answer I was hoping for, but I could tell from his thoughts that was all I was going to get for now. "Thank you," I responded, and waved towards my home. "Shall we?"

Sam followed me back, and when we walked into the house everyone was waiting in the dining room. I was rushed with questions and concerns, all wondering about what Sam and I had discussed. My eyes immediately went to Bella's—she seemed…content, happy even. From what I had gathered from Jacob's thoughts, it appeared things were patched up between the two. It was hard for me to accept Jacob into Bella's life, but I knew he made her happy. He was there for her when I wasn't; he gave her love and support when I couldn't. I would always be indebted towards him, but I had to remind myself of that from time to time.

"Please, join us," Carlisle spoke up, pulling out a seat from the table to sit down on. Slowly, everyone filtered into the dining room as I was assaulted with numerous different thoughts.

After everyone was settled in their spots, Bella sitting next to me with a hand in my lap, Sam cleared his throat. He sat opposite of Carlisle, at the other end of the table—the two leaders taking their respective positions.

"After some careful consideration, I've decided that there needs to be some serious amendments to the treaty." His thoughts gave away nothing as to what he was planning, which frustrated me. I felt Bella lightly pat my hand, before Carlisle spoke.

"I agree absolutely. We recognize that this is a negotiation…a compromise, if you will. When dealing with a compromise, both sides must concede something." Carlisle paused, glancing around at each of the pack's faces. _Is it all right?_ Carlisle thought to me silently. I disguised a nod, giving him encouragement to continue the discussion. He opened his mouth to begin speaking, but was cut off by Sam standing up from his position.

"Wait, before you begin, I want to say something." His eyes darted to mine for a second, but then flashed back to Carlisle. "I've been…informed on your situation, what with these rules that you must follow." I scanned my family's faces, but most just quietly nodded in acknowledgment. Sam set his face sternly. "I'm not here to protect you. I'm here to protect humans—my family, my friends, my pack." He took in a ragged breath, before continuing. "I officially amend the treaty to allow the transformation of Isabella Cullen, from human to vampire."

Thoughts screamed at me from every angle, all thinking different things.

_How COULD he!? What the hell does he think he's doing?_

_That's it? No fight?_

_I…I don't understand…_

_What do they want, Edward? _Carlisle's thought held notes of doubt and wariness. My eyes flew from Carlisle to Sam, trying to read what he was thinking, but his thoughts only echoed the words he had spoke.

"Sam…please forgive me for asking, but…that's it? Just like that, you're going to give us what we want?" Esme's soft voice broke the tension in the thoughts that ran through my head, but she was only voicing what my family had been thinking.

Sam's eyes narrowed. "I'm not giving you what you want. I'm keeping my family safe. You may not see it this way, but when you made that deal…you forced my hand to this decision. You gave me _no_ other choice. No, to answer your question…that's not it."

I could feel Bella tense next to me, but as I examined her face I only saw the expressionless mask she had been wearing all along.

"Well, what then?" Jasper questioned.

Sam's eyes lingered on each of ours for a few seconds at a time, trying to emphasize what he was about to demand. "For too long, you have forced us into situations we didn't want to be in. We would not even be what we are today, if you weren't around. Time after time, you have dragged us into situations where you not only put _us_ at risk, but our entire families…all of Forks, even. Like you said earlier, Carlisle," he said, focusing on my father's stone face, "both sides must concede something."

I quickly took note of everyone's expressions, and they were pretty much the same: nervousness, worry…all emotions that I myself carried.

"Bella," Sam began again, this time solely focusing only on Bella, "after you become one of them…I want you to leave. All of you…leave."

The thoughts from a few of the pack members were relieved—excited almost. However, two voices in my head were not. I eyed Jacob suspiciously, as he looked down at his hands in his lap. His face was a mask, however, but I knew better. He was crushed.

_Leave…Bella leave…she can't. I can't let her…_ but Jacob quickly changed his tone of thinking. _What does it matter? She'll be turned then…she won't be Bella. She won't be _my _Bella. She might as well leave. Then I won't have to see the leech that they made her become._

Anger coursed through me at his thoughts. I knew in reality he was probably just telling himself that to hide from how he would truly feel, but I still was frustrated with how he thought. If he claimed to love Bella so much, why wouldn't he be more accepting?

I quickly turned my focus to Seth, who was also reeling from Sam's demand. _It's like he wants me to be unhappy,_ Seth thought sadly. Anger was quickly replaced with sorrow, as I continued to listen to Seth's thoughts. _It's like I finally find friends that accept me…that like me…and Sam takes that away from me. I don't fit in with the pack…I never have_. The intense loneliness that I felt from Seth radiated throughout my body. I had never known he felt that way. I knew we were allies—and I had counted him as a friend—but I never realized how desperate he was to fit in. Our friendship had only added to the isolation that he felt, and now because of us, he was going to be completely alone.

"Seth," I said gently. He raised his glassy eyes to meet mine. "Don't think that. It's not going to be like that."

"How do you know?" he said painfully. I had no idea how to answer him, and I didn't even know if the words I spoke were true. I hoped, for his sake, that they were.

"I just…I just do," I finally mumbled in response. "You're strong," I encouraged, but I knew my words fell on deaf ears.

"Can we have some time to think about this?" Esme asked softly. Her words brought me back to the current situation—Sam had demanded that after Bella changed, we would leave. I knew all along we would have to leave eventually, but with the baby…well, we never had actually decided what was going to happen.

"No," Sam said harshly. "There's nothing to think about. It is obvious to me now that I cannot protect my family the way I need to if you are still around."

I eyed Bella nervously, trying to read her expression. Usually I could read her fairly well, but since this discussion started, all I had seen was a blank face. I squeezed her hand reassuringly, but her eyes did not leave the place she was staring at.

"Does it have to be after she's changed? Maybe after a year or two, as the baby grows…" Carlisle tried to suggest.

"We'll leave." Had we not all had heightened sense of hearing, none of us would have been able to make out Bella's soft words. I focused my complete attention on her once again, but she continued to stare ahead with the blank face, as if she had not said a word.

"Bella?" I asked gently. Her eyes slowly rose to mine, and I now saw crystal tears forming. I could not hold her eyes for long, for she ripped them away from me to look directly at Sam.

"We'll leave," she repeated, only louder this time. "I'm sick of causing problems for everyone. If that's what will make things right…then we'll leave."

"You're not a problem, Bella!" Seth shouted suddenly. He jumped up to lean towards Sam. "There's gotta be something else, Sam! Don't make them leave. Please?" he begged.

Sam hardened his face. "There is no other way. It's not just for me, Seth…it's for you too. And for your family."

"Screw that. Fine," he said sharply, "then I'm leaving too. What you're doing is wrong, Sam."

"Seth Clearwater you will _not_ leave this pack," Sam barked. I saw a tremor in Seth's body—what the Alpha commanded, went. Now, Seth was forced to do what Sam asked of him. "What I am doing is the reason why we are what we are. We are to protect the human race, which includes our families. I'm simply protecting our families, and that's final."

Hesitantly, Seth lowered himself back into his seat. I turned my focus back to Bella, but the same blank expression was on her face as before. I didn't like what I saw—I knew she was masking her pain. She _had_ to be feeling pain of some kind. However, I was at a loss for words. If us leaving were the only thing that Sam requested, we were getting off pretty easy, weren't we? I had mentally prepared myself for war, because I knew how the wolves worked…or at least I thought I did. Instead, we were being offered a chance to keep some form of peace between us and the pack, in exchange for us moving away. Leaving Forks was always a plan of ours…would it be so bad if it just happened sooner than we expected?

Although my mind was filled with the thoughts of others, the air around us was stale with silence. All of us knew that the right thing would be for us to agree to move to keep the peace, but the thought of moving was hard—we had established a life here; we had all finally felt like we found a home. My mind wandered to Bella and how she was handling this. Wasn't this just another pitfall of becoming a vampire? Never truly being able to settle down in one place for too long was something we had all come to accept…until Bella came along. Now, roots were planted and a home was made, but it was now time for us to destroy all of that.

"Bella?" I said softly. This time, her beautiful brown eyes gazed up at me, but I could tell she wasn't really _seeing_ me—there was a coldness to her normally deep eyes.

"We'll leave," she said firmly, although her voice did not match her appearance. She looked as if she could fall apart at any moment…but I was here. I was here to pick up the pieces.

She looked back at Sam. "We will leave after the baby is born. I officially accept your end of the treaty amendments, if you officially accept ours."

Sam eyed us all suspiciously, but the hard tone Bella's voice took must have been proof enough for the seriousness of her words. "I officially accept your terms," he finally said after a brief pause.

"Good," she responded. "Now, please get out of here." She quickly rose from her seat and coldly walked out of the room. I didn't wait to see how the others responded, because I was too worried about Bella. I realized she had made it to our bedroom, but had closed the door behind her. I hesitated in front of the door, listening in on what was happening on the other side.

I heard the sound of small sobs escaping Bella and the constant beating of her now broken heart.


	17. Stop and Stare

_AN: Wowzers! Thank you guys SO very much for all the wonderful reviews that I've received. Also, for those of you who have submitted anonymous reviews, thank you so much and I'm sorry I can't personally respond to them, but they most definitely do NOT go unnoticed! Once again, thank you and I hope you enjoy this next chapter. It's fluff-tastic, but like I told most of my reviewers, I thought it would be a nice change in pace. Happy reading! Please, continue being awesome and leaving reviews once you're done reading! Oh, and I thought I'd give you a treat and post another long chapter. Happy times._

**Disclaimer: Still do not own anything. Sad day.**

--

**Chapter Seventeen: Stop and Stare**

**BPOV**

I knew what I needed to do. I knew what I _had_ to do. As much as I loved my life here—my family, my friends—it was time to say goodbye. I couldn't believe I had grown so attached to Forks, but I tried telling myself that the attachment was strictly because of the people that lived here, and not the place itself. I knew that no matter what happened or wherever I went, my family would come too. They would follow me anywhere, just like I would follow them anywhere. We were family, that's what we did; we stuck together.

One morning, I stood in front of the glass wall, looking out at the dreary day that waited for me. I rubbed small circles on my growing belly, but they comforted neither my child nor me. She kicked repeatedly, but I could tell they weren't her "playful" kicks; they were her "angry" kicks. Whether she was upset with me or just upset in general I couldn't tell, but the idea that her personality was so strong, even in the womb, brought a small smile to my face. I felt two strong, cold arms wrap around my center as two large hands rested on top of mine. I instantly leaned my body back into his, as he rested his chin on my shoulder, breathing my scent in. He gently kissed the top of my shoulder, then my neck, as I closed my eyes and rested my head against him.

"Good morning," he whispered into my ear, sending shivers down my body. I could feel his smile against the skin of my shoulder. "You know what today is?"

The faint smile that had been on my lips grew larger. "Six months, exactly," I quietly responded back. "I can't believe it's six months," I reveled.

Edward mumbled an incoherent "yes" into my hair as he kissed the top of my head. "Time to mark it," he said enthusiastically.

I groaned and slowly spun around but never leaving Edward's arms. I wrapped my arms around his waist as much as I could, but my bump was making the distance between us too big for what I wanted right now. "You can't be serious," I said with a roll of my eyes.

"I don't know why you complain all the time, Bella. We do this every month…you think you'd get used to it by now," he said facetiously but with a gorgeous smile on his perfect lips. His smile faded slowly as his beautiful golden eyes held mine. My heart started racing and I could feel the baby kick.

Edward's eyes widened slightly. "What was that?" he asked, obviously feeling the kick through my stomach, which was pressed up against his.

I grinned up at my god-like husband. "_That_ was her 'daddy' kick," I explained with an arching of my eyebrow.

"Daddy kick?" he repeated.

"Yeah…she has different kicks. Whenever you look at me like you are now she gives me her 'daddy' kick…matter of fact, just any time you speak, she kicks."

Suddenly, Edward's face got very serious. He looked scared…but curious. He drew his eyebrows together while he studied my belly. "Can…can I feel?" he finally asked, hesitantly.

I reached down to grab his hand and placed it low on my belly where the kick was coming from. I pushed a little hard on his fingers, hoping he could feel it through my skin. His eyebrows drew even closer together as his eyes narrowed.

"What's wrong?" I asked softly.

"It's…amazing. I can feel her," he finally said after a few moments. His voice was soft but shocked—as if he didn't think he'd be able to feel her.

"Of course you can, silly. She kicks the hardest for you," I said with a smile. His eyes flickered up to mine, and a breath caught in my lungs; his eyes were swimming with molten topaz as he studied my face. My heart literally skipped a beat when I saw the beauty that were in his eyes…I could see every ounce of love he already held for our child, and she hadn't even been born yet.

"Wow," he mumbled under his breath. He lowered himself down on his haunches, bringing his face level with my belly. He slowly leaned forward, lifted up the bottom of my shirt to expose my stomach, and gently landed a cold, soft kiss over the place where Liz had been kicking. "I love you, Elizabeth," he whispered into my skin as I involuntarily shivered.

He quickly stood back up and I saw his expression had become light again. "How are you today?"

I was slightly taken aback by his sudden change in atmosphere, but I couldn't help but smile. "I'm…well…perfect, actually."

His lips turned down at the corners slightly, creating the faint hint of a frown. "Do you want to talk about it?"

This is what I was trying to avoid. A month had passed since the official amending of the treaty, when I had agreed we would leave for forever to avoid war with the pack, and what felt like every day of that whole month Edward asked me the same question—"do you want to talk about it?" Every time he asked the same question, I gave the same basic answer: no. I didn't want to talk about it, because I was scared. I was scared of having to leave, but I was scared of what we would do once we left. I knew Edward worried about me, so I tried my hardest to easy that worry.

"Edward," I said with a sigh, "no. I'm okay with everything…really." Honestly, I hadn't _truly_ taken the time to explore if I really was okay with everything. I just kept pushing the thought out of my mind as much as possible to avoid thinking of the unknown.

His eyes grew slightly colder, but he only nodded. "Okay," he whispered. It looked as if he wanted to push the matter farther, so I had to distract him before hand.

"I'm starving," I said with a change in my tone. "I think you should feed me."

"Oh," he said with raised eyebrows, "it seems like you've been doing that a lot lately." I could tell he was only teasing, but pregnancy hormones kicked in, which made me feel angry.

I pulled his hands off of my waist quickly and took a step back from him. "Well, excuse me for trying to keep your unborn child healthy and full. I'm sorry if you think I eat too much or something," I spat out. I felt my cheeks grow red, and the minute I had spoke the words I knew I was out of line. I hated these stupid hormones.

Edward's face registered a flash of pain, before he diverted his eyes down to the ground to avoid me. "I'm sorry, I meant no offense. Please…forgive me."

Now I _really_ hated this. Not only did I just snap at him for no reason, he had to be all gentlemanly and polite…

I wrapped my arms back around his waist, resting my chin against his chest. He returned his arms to their previous position without hesitation. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to say that."

"You're moods change so quickly…I don't know how Jasper has managed to stay in one piece," Edward joked quietly. I couldn't help but laugh—I had been wondering the same thing myself. "C'mon," Edward perked up while pulling me forward towards our bedroom door, "you go downstairs and find something to eat. I need to talk to Alice about something."

I needed no other direction; at that exact moment, my stomach made a loud growling noise, complaining about the lack of food.

--

The dreaded day had come. I had been holing myself up in the house for the last month to avoid going out in public, especially since I was most certainly, without a doubt, people from space could see, pregnant. I knew the time would come eventually, but I guess I could never have been prepared for it.

I stood in the kitchen with every cabinet open. I held the fridge door open, staring into it blankly. I had convinced Edward that he should buy me groceries, but he only kept buying the same things over and over again. I was craving something different, and it just wasn't here.

"Wh—what's going on?" Emmett stood in the entrance of the kitchen, taking in all of the open cabinets.

"We have _nothing_ to eat!" I whined. I closed the fridge door and turned to look at Emmett. I crossed my arms in front of me, expectantly.

"Um…it doesn't look like it," he said. He was right; all of the cabinets were stuffed with more food than one person could possibly eat.

"Well," I huffed, "we don't have anything _good_ to eat! So what are you going to do about it?" I tapped my foot, waiting for Emmett to step up to the plate and offer to go to the grocery store for me. I knew he wouldn't, but I also knew I wasn't ready to go out just yet.

Emmett looked utterly confused. "You want _me_ to do something?"

I groaned and threw my arms in the air. "No, of course not," I whined again, as I stomped out of the kitchen, "I could never ask you to do something for a poor, starving pregnant woman. No, no…what kind of person would that make me?" I started hunting for my purse and keys. I had already resigned to the idea that I was going to have to do it myself, but I just couldn't understand why Emmett wouldn't take the initiative! Seriously…

"Edward!" Emmett called. "Your wife is scaring me!"

I glared up at him, and in an instant, Edward was downstairs behind me. "What's going on?"

I groaned again. "I'm hungry! There's nothing to eat!"

"I just got groceries two days ago. How could you have possibly eaten everything?" Edward asked. He looked genuinely confused.

"I didn't eat everything, but there's nothing good! I swear, I'm going to starve in this household…" I mumbled, still trying to find the keys. "Where are the damn keys, Edward?"

He still looked confused. "In our room, I'll go get them. I'm coming with you," he said, and with that he was gone.

Emmett still stood in the same spot, the confused expression still on his face. He shook his head, and while he walked away, he muttered, "Women."

"I heard that," I remarked. I slowly walked over to the couch and backed myself down, twisting and turning so I could get comfortable. Even though I was only six months pregnant, it was already difficult for me to sit and stand. When I had finally gotten comfortable, Edward was back downstairs.

"Of course," I muttered. Right when I sat down, I had to get back up again. I stretched out my arms towards Edward. "Help," I grumbled.

He pulled me up and picked me up into his arms, carrying me to the car. As he sat me down in the passenger's seat, I clicked the seatbelt over my expanding belly. He closed the door and was in the driver's seat before I could blink.

"What, am I too slow for you? Is that why you carry me everywhere?" I knew I was just picking a fight, but I was hungry, and when I got hungry, I got angry.

As we backed up from the driveway and onto the road, he looked over and smiled at me. "No, love, I just know your feet hurt," he said, adding an extra note of velvet to his voice. He was just trying to placate me. I wanted to still be angry, but he was being too nice.

I muttered a "thanks" and we drove in silence the rest of the way to the grocery store. As we pulled up into the parking lot, I groaned. It looked like every single person that lived in Forks so happened to be shopping for groceries at that exact time. Great.

Edward was out and ready to help me out of the seat. I quickly dodged my eyes around the parking lot, making sure no one was there to witness me and my "debut." Edward shut the door behind me as I grabbed a shopping cart. He rested his hand on my lower back as we walked in, and I braced myself for a sea of eyes, all staring at me.

We went through the sliding doors, and the first stares we got were from the cashiers. I tried to not look at any of them directly, and glanced in another direction. I picked an aisle to hide in. I stopped the cart half way down the aisle, all while Edward had been rubbing small circles with his hand on my back.

"I can't do this, Edward," I complained quietly. I looked at him pleadingly, hoping he would give me an out.

"Bella, you're the one that wants the food. You really don't want me picking it out for you," Edward replied softly. He continued the small circles, trying to reassure me. "Bella, it's fine. It's going to be fine," he said as he kissed the top of my head.

I still had a death grip on the cart, but I couldn't move. Edward loosened my grip and pushed me softly to the side. "Here, let me push. You just grab whatever you want, okay?"

Fabulous. My only hope was the fact that the cart obscured the view of my belly, and now Edward had just thrown me out, all exposed. Some husband he was…

We continued to walk down every aisle, getting more and more stares. Everyone here knew I had gotten married, but I didn't think many knew about the baby. It seemed like most people were too embarrassed or shocked to actually talk to me. Until, we turned down Aisle 5.

"Bella? Bella!" I had been comparing two boxes of macaroni and cheese, trying to figure out which was less expensive. I cringed when I heard my name, because I knew without even looking who the owner of the voice was.

I turned my head and saw Jessica Stanley, Mike Newton, and Lauren Mallory standing in the middle of the aisle.

"Bella! Oh. My. God!" Jessica squealed. She half-ran up to me and gave me a hug. I unwillingly responded.

"Jessica…uh, hi," I mumbled. Jessica let me go and immediately stared down at my belly. She looked up at me, with what I could only imagine as fake tears.

"You're _pregnant_!" she shrieked. "I can't believe it! I haven't seen you in, like, forever! No wonder…you've been hiding this precious, beautiful little baby." I started tuning her out once she started baby talking to my stomach.

I looked up and saw Mike and Lauren standing behind Jessica, both of their mouths open. "You—you're…" Mike stuttered.

"Pregnant," Lauren finished for Mike. She crossed her arms, an evil expression replacing the shocked face.

Jessica stood up after completely assaulting my belly, and I placed my hands on either side of my growing stomach. "Yeah, we are," I said, softly nudging Edward. I silently begged him to intervene.

"How far along are you?" Jessica asked.

"Six months," Edward answered. It's about time he spoke up. "Three more to go!"

"Ooh, that's so exciting!" Jessica beamed. She began to bounce up and down like a little girl. This was unbelievable… "Do you have a name picked out? What's it going to be: boy or girl?"

"It's a girl, and yes we have a name--Elizabeth Renée," I responded curtly. Please let this conversation be over soon.

Jessica's eyes grew big and glossed over. She clasped her hands in front of her face and made an "aww" sound. "That. Is. Too. Adorable! Oh my goodness…are you going to have a baby shower? When are you going to have it? You _have_ to invite us, Bella! Oh, and—"

"Jessica," Lauren spat out. Jessica's head flicked back to look at Lauren, her anger obviously radiating off of her body. "We have to go…beach party, remember?" Lauren's eyes darted over to mine as if to add "and you're not invited."

"Oh, right," Jessica muttered. She turned her full attention back onto me. I couldn't help but noticed how her eyesight avoided Edward completely. Sometimes it was hard to remember that humans were supposed to be naturally scared…or at least weary…of vampires. "Well," Jessica perked up. "It was _soo_ good catching up with you! You'll definitely have to get back to me on that baby shower!"

"We'll be sure to send an invitation," Edward said politely. I glared daggers at him—why on Earth would he even think I'd want Jessica at my baby shower…let alone even have a baby shower to begin with?

"Um…great," Jessica said less-enthusiastically. "Well, bye!" She leaned over and hugged me tightly; for once I was thankful for the space that my belly created between me and other people.

Once she let go, her eyes darted up to Edward shyly, giving him a silent goodbye. She spun around and led the way for Mike and Lauren to leave the aisle that we were currently standing in. Before they disappeared out of sight, Mike turned around a couple of times, shock still on his face. _You _really_ don't have a shot now,_ I thought sarcastically to myself.

I heard a musical chuckle come from Edward. "What's so funny, mister? Oh, and thanks for leaving me out to dry, by the way."

"What do you mean?" he feigned innocence. He had too much fun torturing me when it came to them.

I threw in the box of macaroni and cheese I had been holding the whole time as we began to move forward. "You invited _Jessica_ to the baby shower…that I'm not having, just so you know."

Edward shot me a look. "Bella. Alice is your sister; remember? You honestly thought you could get away with not having a baby shower? And, to answer your question, I was laughing at how Mike continually proves me wrong."

Now, it was time for me to shoot Edward a dirty look. "Stop the presses—I thought you were _always_ right," I snickered sarcastically with a roll of my eyes.

"No, I'm _usually_ right. Mike is living proof that I can be wrong," he said matter-of-factly.

"And how's that?" I asked, distracted. I couldn't decide between mint chocolate chip ice cream and cookie dough; the mint sounded really good, but the cookie dough was on sale…

"Well, I didn't think it was possible for once person to be so dense, but with every encounter he proves me wrong again and again. I've considered making a study out of him, actually." He made a disgusted face as I threw in the mint ice cream and the cookie dough. _What the hell? I'm eating for two,_ I reasoned to myself.

I couldn't help but snort at Edward's comment. "You know, you pick on Mike an awful lot," I pointed out. I was in no means in a mood to defend Mike, but I _was_ in a mood to mess with Edward, especially since he seemed to be in a playful mood.

"He shouldn't make himself such an easy target," he shot back as he continued to push the almost-full cart around aisle to aisle. I laughed at his comment, knowing Edward was unfortunately right—Mike _did_ make himself an easy target, even for someone that couldn't hear his private thoughts.

We turned down the last aisle as my mood suddenly shifted towards anger. "You know, if you weren't so busy messing with Mike, you might have saved me from that. You just left me there hanging!" I complained.

Edward eyed me suspiciously as he pushed the cart forward. "I don't follow…"

"You know how much I hate talking to them, and you…mister 'I'm so eloquent, Shakespeare's got nothing on me'…sheesh, you just sit there and say nothing. You should have spoken up and got me out of that." I irrationally threw a box of something in the grocery cart—I didn't know what it was, but I probably would want it at some point or another.

"Uh…I'm…" Edward struggled for words. He suddenly stopped moving to stop and stare me in the eyes. "I can't keep up with you," he said with an exasperated tone and a shake of his head.

I opened my mouth to spit something back out at him, but I quickly snapped my lips back together. He was right…it was difficult keeping up with me. _I _couldn't keep up with myself, and I had all access to my mind, unlike Edward.

I tried to look as apologetic as I felt. "I'm sorry," I finally breathed. "I know I'm being difficult…I just—"

"Hey," I heard Edward say. I looked up and I realized his face was mere centimeters from mine. His eyes blazed gold as a single, icy finger pressed under my chin, lifting my face even closer to his. "Don't ever feel as if you have to explain yourself to me," he murmured, his voice lowering an octave with a roughness I rarely heard.

I could only nod my head, for words escaped me at the moment. Words were too…futile; petty…for the way he made me feel. I slowly lifted myself on my tiptoes, drawing my lips towards his. He responded back, lowering his face until our lips made contact. No matter how brief of a kiss, it always had the same effect on me. My heart raced, my body nearly shook with happiness, and I always—_always_—wanted more.

After a single, delicate kiss he withdrew himself. I knew he was still uncomfortable with certain public displays of affection…I guess that's what happens when you marry a man that was born in the early twentieth century.

We moved on, purchasing a nearly full grocery cart of food, some of which I would probably never actually eat. After we were done inside the grocery store, we got into the Volvo and drove home in a comfortable silence.

During the drive, I rested my head against the back of the seat with my eyes closed. I enjoyed the gentle purring of the vehicle as I let my mind wander.

Yes, I did in fact know what I needed to do. I knew I must leave Forks, and I knew it would be difficult at first. I blindly reached over and grabbed Edward's hand that was resting on top of the gear shifter. With my husband's hand in mine, and my child happily kicking away inside my tummy waiting for her time to make her arrival, I felt as if I had everything I would need to overcome the difficult change. I felt I had everything I would need…ever.

--

Later that night, Edward and I had been laying in bed as I reflected on my day. I hadn't done much of anything—other than annoy poor Edward—so I was still pretty awake. Lately, everything had been tiring me out, so it was pretty unusual for me to have any kind of energy. Edward was currently reading some classic novel as I lounged next to him. I placed my hand across his abdomen, watching as his chest would rise and fall with each unnecessary breath. My eyes trailed across his stomach and I could see the ripples from his abs underneath his black t-shirt. _My husband, the god_, I thought to myself. I smiled playfully as I let my hand wander a little farther down, sliding under the hem of his shirt, instantly feeling the cold pricks from his skin against mine.

I swept my fingers down the lines of his muscles, glancing up to see what Edward's expression was. He had a crooked smile and I knew he was no longer reading the book.

"What are you reading?"

Edward cleared his throat, and tried to concentrate harder on the words in front of him. "_The Great Gatsby_."

I slid my hand a little further up his chest, my palm resting over where his quiet heart remained. "That's a good one…but not very romantic," I said with a smile. Edward lowered his book an inch to glance at me over the top, but quickly lifted the book back to his eye level.

"I suppose. On some level it is romantic, though."

I chuckled at the tone of his voice—he was sounding like a professor rather than my husband. I sat up in bed and leaned down to kiss his exposed skin across his chest. "Care to explain that?"

Edward shot me a dirty look, as if to say "two can play that game." "Well, Gatsby was willing to do anything—even something illegal—to catch the eye of the one he loved. This poor man was head over heals for Daisy…he'd do anything for her."

As stealth-like as I could possibly manage, I swung my leg across his, straddling him. "Would you do anything for me?" I asked impishly, knowing perfectly well what his answer would be.

He laid the book down at his side, not even bothering to mark his page. His eyes burned a deep gold and I could see a smile in his beautiful gaze. "Without question," he replied huskily.

I slid both my hands up under his shirt, running my fingers down with pressure, gripping at every inch of him. "Then would you do something for me now?" I tried to use my "seductive voice" but it never sounded different than my regular voice. Guess I wasn't in any danger of becoming a succubus…

I heard a slow growl come from deep within his chest as he eyed me suspiciously. "I know what you're wanting—"

"And I thought you couldn't read my mind," I interrupted with a grin.

Edward scoffed. "I don't really need that ability with the way you're looking at me right now." His voice grew deeper as he straightened up. He grabbed my wrists lightly, keeping them from running across his chest. "Bella," he warned under his breath.

"Yes dear?"

"You're six months pregnant," he explained with a hint of worry in his voice.

"Minor obstacle. Could be fun…" I lightly yanked my hands free from Edward's, tugging at his shirt, this time with more determination. He pulled his shirt back down and glared at me. "Fine, we'll start down here," I hissed, my hands flying down to his belt buckle, pulling the leather loose from the hook.

"Bella, no," Edward shot, pulling my hands off of his pants, holding them in front of me. "We can't. I had to be so careful, even when you weren't pregnant. I don't want to risk it now."

"Edward, it's not like we haven't been together since I've been pregnant."

"I know, but you're too far along now." He let go of my hands and moved his down to my leg, trying to get me to move off of him. I crossed my arms in front of my chest, refusing to budge.

"Quit trying to make me move, Edward. I'm not going anywhere. And what do you mean, I'm too far along? Dr. Elliot said I have another month before we have to be careful…"

"Yeah, if we were a normal couple, Bella. But we're not." His face grew tight as his eyes narrowed. "I don't understand why we're having this conversation. You know perfectly well how careful we have to be."

My cheeks flushed red with anger, and words flew out of my mouth before I could think. "You mean to tell me I have another three whole months before I get to be with you again? Another _three _whole months before I get to sleep with my husband? First, I had to wait until we were married, and now I have to wait some more!"

"Bella, this is as hard for me as it is for you, but I refuse to put you and Liz in danger like that."

"Danger? You want to talk about danger?" I narrowed my eyes, leaned closer towards Edward, and whispered, "You want to talk about me being in danger? I'm in danger of going out of my mind, Edward. You realize it's been three weeks since we've been together…_three weeks_. That would be hard enough if all other circumstances were normal, but you add my hormones on top of that…" I exhaled and placed a hand on Edward's cheek. "I _need_ you. It'll be okay."

His eyes were burning with lust, but his body was hesitant. He was probably right—it _was_ as hard for him as it was for me. But he was overacting, as usual, and he needed to see that he could trust me. He needed to see that he could trust himself.

"I could hurt you and Elizabeth," he whispered. His defense was cracking, I could tell.

"I swear to you, I would tell you if anything didn't feel right. Haven't I done that already?"

He nodded slightly, unwilling to concede that I was right. "You do have more energy tonight than usual…"

I grinned from ear to ear. "Can't let an opportunity like that go to waste."

He placed his stone hands on either side of my face, drawing me in to a deep, passionate kiss. His lips moved eagerly, as I began to pull his shirt up again. This time, he responded, breaking our kiss only long enough to remove his shirt. I felt his hands leave my face and move down to wrap around the back of my thighs. I folded my arms around his neck, my fingers playing with his hair at the nape.

Quickly, he lifted me up by my thighs and gently placed me flat against the bed, so he was on top. He held himself up high, careful to not put too much pressure against my belly. This was going to be a challenge…

Edward began trailing kisses down my neck and collarbone, while gliding a hand underneath my top. I felt his fingers lightly drag across my baby bump, which gave me goose bumps. He drew his head back, his gaze falling on mine. His eyes burst with a honey gold as he studied my face, and my heart couldn't help but skip a beat. My mind raced back to a day from high school that would forever been emblazed into my memory—the day we had to watch a video in biology, the electricity between the two of us was physically palpable. It was as if we were back in that dark room; the energy that burned between us was as strong, if not stronger, as it was that fateful day. My fingertips yearned to feel every inch of his stone skin, as much as my body begged to be held tight against his.

"I love you," Edward said, his voice guttural with passion.

"I love you," I responded meekly, unable to find the words to explain how each heart beat that pumped in my chest was for him, and for him only—forever.

--

_Read and review lovies!_


	18. Terrible Vision

_AN: Something I have learned during the process of this story: my readers are amazing. You guys are so great at leaving reviews and making me feel good and just being all around awesome. Thank you SO very much for all the kind words! And thanks for sticking to it and reading all the chapters...I really didn't expect this story to be so long, but alas, it is. Thank you again, and keep it up!_

**Disclaimer: Not Stephenie Meyer. If I were, I would have totally hit on Rob Pattinson. I'm just sayin'...**

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**Chapter Eighteen: Terrible Vision**

I twisted onto my side as much as possible, as Edward trailed his fingers down the side of my bare arm. I rested one hand on my belly, as my mind wandered back to the night that we had just spent together. I closed my eyes as I rested my head back on the pillow—immediately the images of Edward in all of his perfection flashed against my closed eyelids, and a smile was brought to my face.

I felt two icy lips press against mine. "I couldn't help but kiss your smile," Edward whispered. I kept my eyes closed as he softly dragged his fingers over my eyelids and down the side of my face.

He had been careful as always, but there was something different about last night. It could have possibly been because I was so desperate to be with him, but it seemed as if…well, as if Edward had missed me as much as I had missed him. He said things…did things…I never knew he would have ever considered before. Obviously, my growing baby bump—which wasn't so much a "bump" now as more of a mountain growing out of my stomach—got in the way, so we had to be a little more creative with how we spent our time together. I couldn't help but blush and let out a little giggle, thinking about all the things Edward had said and done last night. I had never heard such language come from him before…

"How was the control?" I asked, absent-mindedly. I kept my eyes closed—I wasn't ready to give up my fantasies about last night _quite_ yet.

"Well…"

I opened my eyes after Edward's pause, not sure if it was a good thing or a bad. A smile was stretched across his beautiful lips.

"Good. Great, actually. I think…I think I'm getting better at it."

I leaned up and kissed the tip of his chin. "I knew you could. You underestimate yourself so much, Edward."

He let out a throaty chuckle. "I guess I underestimated you as well…"

I propped myself up on my elbow to look my husband at his eye level. "What does that mean?"

"I knew you seemed to have more energy than usual, but I had no idea."

I beamed, proud that I could keep up with Edward…for once. "I told you I was desperate."

"Like I said, I guess I underestimated you." He planted kisses across my forehead and down to the tip of my nose.

I stretched backwards, trying to read the clock: 5:30am. "Wow, I had no idea it was so early!" We had been together most of the night, until I dozed off for a few hours. Even though I had lack of sleep, I felt unusually energetic. Maybe I was getting a hang of this whole pregnancy thing. I turned back around to face the god that was my husband.

"What do you want to do today?" Edward mindlessly brushed his fingers through my hair as he studied my face.

"Good question…I have no idea. What do you want to do?"

Suddenly, a distant look came into Edward's eyes. He looked off into space for a few moments, and just as quickly as before, he focused his attention back onto me. "Well, Alice sees us going shopping for baby things."

I rolled my eyes. "Was that our decided future or _hers_? Because I highly doubt I would ever make the _decision_ to go shopping."

Edward chuckled. "Bella, we do need to go shopping for baby stuff. Alice has been really good and has been waiting for us to all go together, instead of her just buying everything for us. She wants us to share the experience."

"Of being tortured," I added with another eye roll. I let my body fall back against the bed again, resting my arm across my eyes. "I guess you're right," I mumbled. "That means I have to get up and get dressed, huh?"

Edward gently pulled my arm off of my face and kissed the tip of my nose. "You have a few hours, yet, love. Get some more sleep. I kept you up all night."

I feigned offense. "If I remember correctly, _I_ was the one who kept _you_ going."

"You keep me going, love. In every way imaginable, you keep me going." He brushed his fingers across my lips and left a sweet kiss against them.

Even in joking times, Edward managed to say the most amazing things to me—a simple sentence like that left my heart stuttering. I smiled as I felt my eyelids flutter. "Hold me?" I asked as I shifted my weight to the side.

"Always," Edward whispered as he wrapped his arm around my side, pulling me tight against his body. I heard him start to hum my lullaby, but I couldn't stay awake long enough to hear much of it. I quickly dozed off from the exciting but exhausting night, and entered a world of dreams filled with my husband. As long as Edward was in my life, it would be hard to see the line between my dreams and reality.

--

I moaned as I rubbed the back of my hand against my eyes. I slowly opened my eyelids to read the clock: 11:00 am. _Well, I definitely used up all that energy I had_, I thought to myself. I rolled onto my back, but Edward was already gone. I struggled to get myself up into a sitting position, but I realized I was still naked from last night. I blushed at being so exposed and yanked a gold sheet off of the bed to wrap around myself. I headed over to the closet to pick out my clothes for the day, but when I turned around to take a shower, I was shocked to see a small, pixie-like body standing in the frame of the door.

"Alice! You scared me to death!" I yelped, pulling the sheet tighter around my body.

"It's about time you woke up Bella! I thought you were never going to get up. Although, I figured that after the night you two had, you'd be pretty tired. Anyways, we have so much to do today, and so many places to go, and we really need to get an early start. You know, you move slower now so it's going to take awhile for us to do all of our shopping, so we need to get a move on it, like _now_. Bella, are you listening?"

I had stopped hearing what she had been saying, for I was too distracted by the fact that I stood in my closet with nothing but a bed sheet. I tried wrapping it tighter around my body, but I was still exposed. "Um, Alice can we do this a little later?"

"Hey…oh, you're awake!" Edward walked into the bedroom, heading straight for the closet. I blushed a little deeper, as he went straight up to me and kissed me on the forehead. "You look lovely this morning," he whispered into my ear.

"I'm practically naked," I responded back harshly.

"I know." An evil grin spread on his lips, as he looked me up and down. He wrapped his hands around my waist and pulled me closer into him, kissing my bare shoulder and collarbone.

"Edward, do you mind? Quit distracting her, she needs to get ready," Alice interrupted.

"Hey Alice!" I heard Emmett's booming voice quickly approaching where the three of us had gathered.

_Oh no…no, no, no_, I pleaded silently. This could _not_ be happening.

"Hey, I wanted to do something today, and Rose says it's going to—oh…good _morning_, Bella," Emmett said with a smirk when he recognized what I was dressed in. He focused his full attention on me, and I knew my face was bound to be the color of a tomato by this point. "Interesting choice in clothing today…I'm sure Edward, here, doesn't object."

"Emmett, shut up," was the best I could come up with.

He threw his arms up in a mock surrender. "Hey, I'm just saying…it's a good look for you. Although, I think you'll be a little cold when you go outside…once again, Edward won't mind. Speaking of weather" he said, changing the subject and turning back to Alice, "Rose says there's going to be a storm tonight, and I wanted to play football, but I needed to see if there's actually going to be a storm. You know how those weathermen are…"

Alice's eyes glazed over for a brief moment, but quickly returned to their usual sparkle. "Ooh, it's going to be a big one. Perfect for football, actually!"

"Yes! Hey Jasper!" Emmett yelled.

"We can play?" Jasper was instantly at the doorway, which was now crowded with three vampires, none of whom seemed to be as bothered by my lack of clothes as I was. Jasper quickly glanced over at Edward and I as his eyebrow shot up. "Bella…you look like you had an interesting night." He smirked as Emmett nudged him in the side.

"I told her the whole bed sheet only look was good for her…she should just go with it," he said with a childish grin. "And she _definitely_ had an interesting night."

"Yeah, I could barely concentrate on anything, they were so loud…"

Emmett turned his attention towards Edward. "I really didn't peg him as a yeller, quite honestly."

Edward shot Emmett a dirty look while Jasper shook his head and faked seriousness. "Didn't think he had it in him…"

"Oh shut up," Alice and Edward said at the same time.

"Guys, um do you—"

"We can totally play tonight!" Emmett said, once again changing the subject while interrupting me.

"Nice! I don't think Bella has seen us play football yet," Jasper said with a sideways glance towards me.

"Yeah, that's great, can't wait, but uh—" once again, I was interrupted.

"She's not going to do anything until we go shopping today for baby things. Bella," Alice began on her rant again, "I hate having to repeat myself. We needed to get a move on about five minutes ago if we want to get everything we need today."

"Yeah, but—"

Emmett made a fake gagging noise. "Shopping…that sounds like a fun way to be tortured."

"I don't get what you guys have against it. Everyone has to do it at some point or another, so you might as well get good at it."

"Alice, c'mon that's—"

"Guys!" I shouted over the bantering between Emmett and Alice. Everyone's eyes flew to me, which only made my heart beat a little faster, still _fully_ aware I was practically naked. "Hate to break this up, but in case you haven't noticed I'm a little exposed, so if you don't mind—"

"I've definitely noticed," Edward said slyly under his breath.

"Dude, wait until we're at least out of the room…" Emmett commented sarcastically.

"Hey! Focus!" I shouted again. "Like I was _saying_, if you don't mind I would like to get dressed, so if you could all leave…"

No one moved for a few moments, so I had to wave my hands towards the door, shooing them out. Edward lingered back behind me after the others had left. "That means you too, mister."

He hung his head, but reluctantly shuffled out of the room, all while muttering about the "perks of being a husband." I quickly showered and dressed, not really caring about how I looked. No matter what I wore or what I did with my hair, I was going to look like a beached whale, so there was no reason to put any kind of effort into it…not that I put any effort into my looks before I was pregnant. _I have an excuse now,_ I reminded myself.

By the time I managed it down the stairs and into the living room, Edward was already waiting for me. "Alice is in the car," he said, nodding towards the garage. We got into the Volvo, despite Alice's complaints about choice in vehicle.

The three of us had decided it would be better if we went to Seattle than Port Angeles, simply because there were more stores in Seattle. Alice had the whole day planned out, even the route that we would take for getting from store to store. She had already made of list of everything we would ever need—literally—and we set off for what seemed like a very long day.

--

"Are you kidding me? No…no way. I refuse to go inside." I defiantly crossed my arms over my chest while standing in front of what seemed like the billionth shop of the day. Alice had kept us running all day long, not even giving me more than twenty minutes to stop and get something to eat. I was beyond exhausted, as my feet and back protested with each step I took. My whole body was sore, I was cranky, and the baby was kicking nonstop, which after awhile made me start to feel nauseous.

"Bella, we're not going through this again," Alice responded sharply. I think she was enjoying this day of shopping less and less, because the more I protested the more annoyed she got with me. At the last three stores I had complained about how tired I was getting, and each time Alice pushed me a little more. She stretched out her tiny hand and yanked my elbow forward, trying to get me to go into the store.

"No, I don't want to do this anymore. I'm tired, Alice," I whined, "I'm so tired. We've bought so much more than we ever needed…I'm done."

"Alice, maybe we should just go home. We can finish it later," Edward interjected, firmly placing his body between Alice and me. I highly doubted he wanted to extend this ridiculous shopping trip to another time, but I knew he'd say anything to get Alice off my back.

Alice glared at Edward, but slowly shifted her gaze towards me. She took a deep breath and let go of my elbow. "Bella. This will be the last store, okay? Please, I know _exactly_ what I need out of here, and the sale at the store ends today."

"It's not like we have to worry about sales, Alice," Edward retorted.

She smiled sheepishly and tried to turn on her full charm. "Yes, but there's just something about buying things during a really great sale—it's almost as if everything is a little more special."

I rolled my eyes, but gave in. "Fine, we'll go in. But this is the _last_ store. The. Last. Store. Understand?" I arched my eyebrow and glared down at her. I knew I was nowhere near scary being that I was human and all, but sometimes my temper backed by hormones could be a frightening thing.

"I completely understand," Alice said quickly while nodding her head furiously. We finally walked into the store and began our browsing.

"C'mon, it's in the back." Alice quickly rushed straight into the heart of the store, heading back to where different artwork was displayed.

"Art? I seriously doubt Liz is going to care what's hanging on her walls," I commented contemptuously.

"_I_ care," was all Alice said as she started browsing through the different types of artwork. I scanned the different objects on the shelves, moving aisle to aisle, not really caring what we ended up purchasing. I picked up a cute little picture frame that had "Daddy's Girl" written on it in pink and purple, and I couldn't help but smile. I imagined in my mind the picture that would someday go into a picture frame like this: Edward, with his beautiful smile and his gleaming eyes, and my beautiful baby girl who would be a spitting image of her father.

A few weeks ago, Alice had sketched out what she saw Lizzie looking like in her visions, and I can honestly say I had never seen a more beautiful child. I knew that every parent thought his or her child was the cutest, but Lizzie wasn't just "cute"—she was _beautiful_. Alice wasn't lying when she said she was basically a replica of her father, but it wasn't in a weird way. When I had first been told they would look alike, I thought it would be odd especially since Edward had such strong masculine features and Lizzie was obviously _not_ masculine. But in the sketch, every part of Lizzie looked like her father, only softened to a more feminine nature. Carlisle had seen the sketch and commented that Liz would end up looking a lot like Edward's mother, which I thought was fitting—we _were_ naming her after his mother, anyways.

I had been lost in my thoughts when a loud crash came from a few aisles behind me. I turned, knowing Alice had been near the area where the sound came from and I rushed to find her as I quick as I could. Alice stood there, her hands hanging in the air as if she had been looking at a picture, which now was lying on the floor completely shattered.

"Alice, what's wrong?" I panicked as I rushed up to her. Her eyes were glazed over in the expression that I knew too well; she was having a vision.

"Alice, wh—" Edward was instantaneously at her side as well, but he never finished his sentence. He stared forward with a stare that somewhat resembled Alice's. He must have been seeing her vision through her thoughts.

My heart started racing as Alice's face became very serious. Her perfectly shaped dark eyebrows gathered together as a large frown spread across her lips. Once again, Edward held a nearly identical expression.

"What's going on?" I whispered. I surveyed the area around us, and saw an employee of the store headed our way. The crash from the picture had been loud, and I knew people would come to check on us soon enough. "Edward!" I snapped under my breath.

His eyes snapped towards mine, then back behind him where the employee was still approaching us.

"Everything okay over here?" the lady asked with a high-pitched voice. She looked nervously at us, eyeing the picture on the ground and how Edward and I hovered over Alice.

"Yes, we're fine, thank you. I'm afraid my sister here dropped a picture," Edward said calmly, turning on the velvet in his voice. I hated it when he did that, but it _was_ awfully convenient. He slowly wrapped an arm around Alice's shoulders and pulled her body away from the glass, but still trying to keep the lady from looking directly at her eyes. Alice was still in her vision, all while her expression ranged from scared to confused.

"Is…is she okay?" the lady questioned.

"Yes, I'm afraid she gets horrible migraines…c'mon Alice," he said turning back to his sister, "let's go home." He left his arm wrapped around her shoulders, practically pulling her body the entire way out of the store. I trailed behind them, completely confused as to what was happening. I was worried…severely worried…especially since I hadn't seen Alice react this way to a vision in quite awhile.

Edward made sure she got into the car alright, and when we were all finally buckled into our seats, we sped off towards back home.

"Okay, what is going on?" I demanded once we made it out of the bad traffic. We had been quiet for too long, and Alice was still in her vision.

"I'm…I'm not sure…none of it is clear," Edward mumbled as he barely focused on the road. He kept turning around looking at Alice as her emotions continued to flicker across her face.

After a few more minutes in the car, she finally came to. "Edward," she said solemnly.

"I don't understand it either, Alice," he responded sadly. I twisted my body sideways in the seat to get a better view of both of them. Alice looked worried, which was something I rarely saw from her. That definitely made me nervous.

"Alice what'd you see?"

She looked at Edward before speaking. "Um…nothing I could really make out. Just random flashes of something."

"Could you be more vague about that?" I questioned sharply.

"I don't think it means much of anything, Bella," Edward interjected while patting my leg.

Okay, that didn't make sense. Alice had been in the vision for what seemed like forever, and obviously concerned her. She looked…scared while she was seeing what she did, and that rarely happened with her. Not only that, but Edward was worried enough that he felt we needed to leave for home right away. Something was up, but neither of them was saying anything.

"I know what you're doing, and I wish you wouldn't. Just tell me what you saw, Alice. Is it…is it Lizzie?" Sudden panic hit me, as I wondered if she saw something bad happening with Liz. My heart started picking up speed as I only took shallow breaths.

"No, no…nothing like that," Alice comforted sweetly. She leaned forward and placed her hand on my shoulder, the usual warmth coming back to her eyes. "I think it's just someone making a big decision, but they don't know what they want to do."

I crinkled my eyes, not really buying her excuse. I knew, however, that no matter what I said I wasn't going to get anything real out of them. They thought they were being clever about hiding their attentions from me, but I could read the both of them like a book. They knew something was going to happen, and they wanted to protect me so they thought it was best to keep it from me.

I let out a breath, trying to let the whole thing go. "Alright…you just worried me, that's all."

I felt a delicate, cold hand pat my shoulder. "All you need to worry about is continuing to grow my beautiful niece inside your belly." I couldn't help but smile at her words…Alice was most definitely going to be a _unique_ aunt.

We drove the rest of the way in silence, but subtle glances at Edward told me an entire conversation was going on without my knowledge. Occasionally, he'd raise his head up then slowly drop it down, which I knew was his and Alice's secret way of conversing. I rolled my eyes at the both of them, remembering a time when I thought the whole family was such a mystery to me. Now, I had them completely figured out. Guess that's what happens you spend too much time with one group of people…

I let my head fall back and rest against the seat; I glad the day was over. Although I hated the condition that we were under when we left, I was still grateful for any kind of excuse to be done with shopping. I closed my eyes and let my mind wander off to nowhere, feeling the road roll beneath the speeding car.

"Bella. Bella, we're home." I jumped slightly, when I realized I was still the car. We had stopped driving, and were now in the driveway at home.

"I fell asleep," I muttered, stating the obvious.

"Guess you were tired," Alice said as she unloaded all of our purchases from the car.

"Come here," Edward mumbled softly as he slid his hands underneath my legs, picking me up from the vehicle. I didn't protest, and instead wrapped my arms around his neck, resting my head against his stone chest. I let him carry me up the stairs and lightly lay me down on our soft bed. I instantly curled up and dozed right back off to sleep.

--

**EPOV**

I saw it in her thoughts the second she started getting her vision. Flashes of Italy, Forks and a forest ran through her mind, none of which I could make sense of. Then I saw the faces in her cloudy vision that I had never wanted to see again for as long as I existed—I saw the faces of the Volturi.

Aro, Caius, Demitri…they were all in her vision. Some were angry, some were complacent, but still nothing made sense. Why were things so fuzzy? Alice's visions weren't always perfect, but some sense could be made out of them, but this—this was too chaotic to be on accident.

_Someone's messing with her. _This could _not_ be good. Aro understood how Alice's visions worked, which was quite an advantage for someone who wanted to surprise us. But why would they want to surprise us?

After the tumultuous visions subsided and Bella had been distracted off of the subject, I heard Alice's panicked thoughts.

_Oh God, Edward. Does this mean they're coming? Here?_

I glanced over at Bella but by this point she had fallen asleep. "I don't know," I whispered so quietly that only Alice would ever be able to hear.

_I'm…scared. Do you think this is on purpose?_ I only could shrug at her question, unsure of the answer. _Maybe what I told Bella was true. Someone just can't make their mind up. Yeah…maybe that's it._

"You and I both know that's not it," I whispered again. I shot her a look that told her exactly what I was thinking—someone was trying to avoid giving themselves away through Alice's visions.

_Way to be positive, Edward. You kind of suck at placating._ I saw in her thoughts a replay of her visions, but both of us were still unable to make sense of anything. Random flashes and snapshots were all she got. It wasn't so much that her visions were incoherent; no…it was the subject of the visions that bothered me. The simple fact that Aro and Forks were in the same vision made me nervous, but I didn't know what I could do about it. I needed to keep my defensives up and stay on top of things. I _had_ to protect Bella and Liz, regardless of what Alice's visions told us. Yes…that was my duty as a husband and father; my responsibility was to protect the two loves of my life, come what may.

Alice let out a heavy sigh. _Well…I don't think there's much we can do now, is there?_

I only shook my head in response. I glanced again back down at my beautifully sleeping wife. She was so tired all the time, and I knew she had so much worry and stress. Alice _was_ right about one thing: all she needed to worry about was keeping herself and Liz happy and healthy. I couldn't tell her what was Alice had saw and I needed to make sure no one else did either. I knew, despite what Bella would say, she still feared the Volturi, about as much as I did. This would just make things worse, and I definitely did not want to do that.

No, I would handle this. Like Alice had said, there was not much we could do now, so there was no benefit in everyone worrying about it. I tried shrugging it off of my mind, telling myself that I would stay on guard but not let the fear of the unknown take over my life. It was odd…before Bella I had pretty much accepted the fact that there wasn't much surprise in life. The hundred years before Bella were the same through and through…but _after_ Bella, everything was different. Each day was different from the last, and tomorrow would be different than today. Change was definitely an odd concept for a vampire—we didn't do much changing. Well…that is unless you fall in love with a human, and I had most certainly done that.

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_Read and review! Thanks lovies!_


	19. We Are Family

_AN: Wow guys I'm **SO **sorry about the delay in updates! I had a crazy week/weekend, and this is the first time I got a break to update the story. Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews which bring smiles to my face with every comment! I love them so much, and I'm glad you, my wonderful readers, are still sticking with it. This chapter is kind of fluff, but it was just something I needed to write out. So, enjoy! I'll make a deal with you guys. Next time I update, I'll post 2 chapters, because I feel so guilty for not updating in so long...I just have to write them first!_

_Read and review! Thanks very much!_

**Disclaimer: Still not Stephenie Meyer. Also, another disclaimer: Maroon 5 rocks. Just saying...**

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**Chapter Nineteen: We Are Family**

**BPOV**

"You're gonna love this, trust me." Emmett's huge arm wrapped tightly around my shoulders and pulled me tight against his stone body.

"Ugh…yeah, can't wait," I managed to squeak out from the strong embrace from my brother-in-law. A huge, goofy grin crossed his face as he looked down at me, a twinkle in his eye I only saw when he was getting ready for one thing: competition. I never understood his obsession with competing, especially since it was obvious to us all that he was big, strong and could take us all. But, that's exactly how Emmett was; he had serious strength, and he liked to show it off.

It was late that evening, the events from earlier that day had been almost all but forgotten. The storm Alice had seen was indeed a big one, with the lightening and thunder giving us all warning for more to come. It hadn't started raining yet, but it wouldn't be long before it would begin. We were in the clearing where I had seen their baseball game, and I couldn't help but think of how much had changed since the last time we had all been here. I had gone from being still pretty shy around Edward's family and new to their whole life, to…well definitely _not_ shy around his family, and now I was a pro at the vampire world. I had gone from being Edward's new girlfriend, to his wife and the mother of his unborn child. I smiled to myself at the idea, as I pulled my winter coat tighter around my body. Edward had protested my coming here, especially since it was storming and I could have gotten sick from the storm, but Emmett insisted this was something I didn't want to miss, and honestly, I _didn't_ want to miss it. If football was anything like their baseball game, I knew I was in for a treat.

"Okay, family. Gather around," Emmett boomed as they all collected together. "Let's separate into teams. I'll be QB for one, but who wants to be the other?"

"I will," Jasper volunteered. Emmett snickered as he stepped forward out of the group.

"This'll be easy," Emmett muttered loud enough for all to hear. His eyes surveyed the rest of the family, glancing over one family member after another.

"I'm sitting this one out, guys," Edward interjected. He backed up to where I was standing and wrapped his arm around my waist.

"Oh, c'mon! You were going to be my running back!" Emmett complained.

"Edward, you don't have to sit out for me. Go on, I know you want to play…it's fine," I encouraged with a smile. I glanced over at Emmett and he had an eager smile on his face, while Jasper looked like he was concentrating hard on Edward.

A flicker of doubt crossed Edward's face, but then he shot a look at Jasper. "I know what you're doing, and for that…I _will_ play."

"Ha!" Emmett shouted at Jasper. Edward turned to me, kissed my forehead and walked over to stand next to Emmett. I heard Edward mutter something about Jasper messing with his emotions so he wouldn't play, as Jasper grunted.

"Fine, if you get Edward, I get Rosalie," Jasper said with a mocking sneer.

"What? That's not fair!" Emmett tried to protest, but Rosalie was already sauntering over to stand next to Jasper. I eyed everyone; confused as to why Rosalie was such a hot commodity…maybe she was good at football?

"I think I'll stay with Bella, if you all don't mind," Carlisle offered. He glimpsed over at me with a crooked grin on his face. I nodded with a responding smile—Carlisle would make good company.

"I'm with Jasper!" Alice peeped in as she gracefully glided over to Jasper; all while Esme was already moving to stand next to Edward and Emmett.

"Great, it's settled! Now," Carlisle began, "we need to establish rules." He glared over at Edward and Alice, giving them a silent warning. "No using your gifts…at all."

"Hey, I can't help it, visions just come to me."

"Yeah and I don't control the thoughts, I just hear them."

Carlisle raised his hands to silence them both, shaking his head from side to side. "I don't care. You both know how to control your gifts as much as possible, so you will do so during the game. This goes for you too, Jasper. You're not allowed to make people feel lost or confused, like you did last time…"

Jasper snorted as Emmett glared over at his brother. "Dude, that was _not_ cool." Yeah, that was definitely something I was going to have to ask Carlisle about.

"Focus," Carlisle chided, "like I said, no one uses their gifts. And keep the contact to a minimum…it'll look a little odd if there's giant crater-sized holes in the ground everywhere."

Everyone nodded and then dispersed into their teams as Carlisle and I sat where I had stayed with Esme all that time ago. He wrapped a blanket around my shoulder and pulled out a thermos out of the bag he had been carrying.

"I thought you might want this," he said with a sheepish grin. I hastily opened the thermos to see steaming hot cocoa.

My eyes widened with surprise. "Ooh, perfect! Thanks, Carlisle," I responded. I gripped the thermos tightly, enjoying the heat that was coming from the cup and warming my cold hands. Carlisle sat next to me, staring out at the rest of our family preparing for their game.

"Oh," I said between sips of my cocoa, "so what happened last time? With Jasper and Emmett?"

Carlisle let out a deep chuckle, before explaining. "Last time we played, we didn't make the 'no gifts' rule, and Jasper kept making Emmett feel confused whenever he was in the middle of a play. Emmett would just drop the ball, stand where he was, and scratch his head, looking around like a little lost boy," he elaborated between laughs.

I threw my head back, laughing at the image that was in my head of poor Emmett. He took sports so seriously…I couldn't imagine what he would have done with someone messing with him like that. "He must have been angry afterwards," I said with a giggle.

"That's why we have the limited contact rule now, too. You see how the ground dips down a little bit to the left over there?" Carlisle asked as he pointed out a small depression in the field out in the distance.

"Yeah…"

"It wasn't there _before_ we had started playing," he commented with an eye roll. I couldn't help but laughing hard at my two brother-in-laws. As serious as Jasper appeared to be most of the time, he was always really playful with Emmett, to a surprising point. "Took us forever to move the dirt back around to get some semblance of how it looked before," Carlisle added with another laugh.

The two teams were huddled up at opposite ends of the clearing. It was odd to see Esme out there with Emmett and Edward, and even though I knew she was a strong, fast vampire, I couldn't help but wonder how she could keep up with them all. The teams broke from their huddle, and Esme leaned over towards the ground, the ball in her hand.

After a few moments, Emmett yelled "hike!" and the game began. Edward darted out in a blur to the opposite end of the clearing, gliding from one end to the other. Another flash followed Edward's closely—I soon realized it was Alice when I saw the streak of black hair.

Jasper flew straight towards Emmett, but seconds before they made contact the ball left Emmett's hand. It was almost as if the ball disappeared in midair, but I soon realized it was already safely in Edward's hands. A loud thunder rolled from the sky—or at least, what I thought was thunder at first. I saw a few moments later that it wasn't thunder, but the crashing noise that came from Emmett and Jasper's collision. Dirt flew up from the ground where they had landed, but I quickly shifted my focus towards Edward. Alice's streak was following closely behind Edward's but she wasn't quick enough; soon, the two blurs disappeared into the woods. I stood up trying to get a better view of where they had gone, but I couldn't see anything.

"Go, go, go!" Carlisle shouted. I turned to look at him, and he was standing too, leaned forward and facing where Edward and Alice had disappeared.

I eyed him skeptically. "What's going—"

"YES!" Carlisle boomed, cutting me off. "Touchdown!" A huge grin was plastered on his face, when he looked down and saw my expression. "Ooh sorry, I guess you couldn't see that. Edward scored a touchdown," he explained, the grin still there.

I couldn't help but smile along…_that's my boy,_ I thought to myself cheerily. Soon, Alice and Edward came racing back into view, but I didn't need vampire vision to see the cocky expression on Edward's face. He tossed the ball to Alice with a smirk.

"Think you can do one better?" he jeered.

Alice scoffed. "Oh, I _know_ I can." She darted back to where Jasper and Rosalie were huddled and they quickly began plotting their next play.

Edward went back to Emmett and Esme, high fives being exchanged. Edward glanced back towards me, spoke something to Esme, and then came running over to where Carlisle and I were.

"Hey, I heard you just scored the first touchdown," I commented with a smile.

"I sure did. Let's just say that'll set the tone for the rest of the game. They don't even know what they're getting into." He leaned forward and kissed me on the forehead. Brushing back a strand of my hair and pulling the blanket tighter around me, he lowered his voice. "You warm enough? You don't feel like you're going to get sick, do you?"

"No, Edward I'm fine. Carlisle's taking care of me."

He hesitated for a brief second, but soon Emmett was calling him back into the game. He kissed me again, this time on the lips for a fleeting moment, but rushed over back into the game.

This time, Alice lowered herself down to get ready to hike the ball to Jasper. Rosalie stood to the right of Jasper, directly across from Emmett. Rosalie straightened herself up, pulled her beautiful blond hair into a ponytail, and said something to Emmett, but I couldn't make out her words.

"Rosalie…play fair," Carlisle warned at a normal speaking voice. Her eyes darted over to Carlisle, then back to Emmett with a mischievous grin on her face. Alice hiked the ball to Jasper, and Rosalie darted out towards their end zone. Esme's streak followed Rosalie's; each movement from Rose was perfectly matched with Esme's. Jasper threw the ball, the small brown flash flying through the air. It came closer and closer towards Rosalie, but right before she reached for the ball, Esme came flying up and snatched the ball midair. A loud cracking noise came from where Esme landed on the ground, and she was off. Cursing came from Rosalie, as the two women took off down to the opposite end of the field, but Esme was too quick for Rose. Once again, they disappeared into the outskirts of the woods where Edward had been before.

"You got it, honey!" Carlisle yelled. He was standing up again, but he was leaning over with his hands resting on his knees. I heard a splintering sound come from the woods, and saw three trees crash to the ground just as lightning struck off in the distance.

I cringed from the noise and from the destruction. "Are they okay? What's happening?"

Carlisle paused, squinted his eyes although I knew he could see perfectly well, but soon a beautiful smile crossed his lips. "Touchdown! She's there, it's good!" Carlisle yelled out to the other players on the field.

"Aw, c'mon!" Jasper challenged back, throwing his hands up in the air.

Esme and Rosalie came back out of the woods, Rosalie looking very cross while Esme was patting her on the shoulder. I could barely make out what Esme was saying to Rosalie, but I heard something of "it's not your fault, sweetie" come from Esme.

I couldn't help but shake my head in awe of Esme. Even when she was playing a game, she was always the mother and always making sure her children were all right. A thought suddenly struck me—Esme was exactly the kind of mother I wish I would become. She was always thoughtful, caring…her children _always_ came before she did. She would do anything, say anything, to make sure her children were safe and happy. At times I didn't understand her unconditional dedication to her children, but now I was starting to get it. What she felt for Edward, Alice, _me_…for all of us…is exactly how I felt for my own child, growing inside of me. As I patted my belly with a smile, distracted by this new revelation, I didn't realize Edward and Esme had come over to check up on us.

"Great job, honey," Carlisle said, drawing out of my daydreams. He wrapped a single arm around her shoulders, pulling her close and kissing her forehead. Esme had a goofy grin on her lips.

"Oh, it was nothing. I think I upset Rose," she said, trying to disguise her pride in her touchdown.

"She'll be fine," Edward commented as he kissed my forehead. I couldn't help but notice how often Edward's actions mimicked Carlisle's, even when it was something simple like a kiss on the forehead. "How are you, love?"

I stared up into his eyes, studying him for a few moments. His face went from playful to something serious, but soft. My skin started to buzz from the look he was giving me—I swear, his eyes were on fire. Even in the dark night, his beautiful melted gold eyes shone bright. He lightly dragged his fingers down the side of my cheek, never breaking our eye contact. I remembered he had asked me a question, and I tried my hardest to answer him without words—I wanted him to know that I was okay, and that I would always be okay as long as he was in my life.

"Are we going to play or what?" Emmett complained from the field. Too quickly, I broke the eye contact to see Emmett standing with the football in his hands, waiting for Edward. Esme had already left Carlisle's side and was lining up to start another play.

"Yeah, sorry," Edward muttered. With one last glance into my eyes, he turned and ran back into the game.

I sat down hard, his expression still in my mind. He was so expressive; he said so much with his eyes. I could only hope I said as much, because I knew words would never be able to cover how I felt. Even simple moments like this would take my breath away. Every single glance I got from Edward would forever be in my mind.

I felt a cold hand pat my knee as I snapped out of the thoughts running in my head, and looked over at Carlisle. I was greeted with a small, but perfect, smile. "I think I know that look."

"What do you mean?"

"You have that look; the look that says 'I don't know how on earth I became so lucky to have this incredible person as my mate, but I'm not going to argue.'"

I chuckled dryly. "I thought Edward was the one that read minds…"

He shook his head swiftly. "You know, even after all these years, that feeling still hasn't gone away. Everyday, when I see the sun rise on a new day, I wonder how I got so lucky. I wonder how it came to be that I was the husband of the most perfect being ever to have existed, and the father to six, incredibly talented children."

I cocked my head to the side. "Carlisle, sometimes good people have good things happen to them. You're a good person…you deserve happiness."

"As do you, sweetie," Carlisle whispered as he patted the side of face softly.

I turned my attention back onto the field, where they had stopped to set up another play. Edward had been standing to the left of Emmett; his face was set deep into concentration. I studied his face, his body, his everything…

"You know, regardless of if I deserve it or not, I've found happiness," I said with a smile.

"You and me both, kid," Carlisle said with a chuckle. We both stared ahead at the field in front of us, but I had a feeling he wasn't paying much attention to the game, like me. "Bella?"

"Hmm?"

Carlisle hesitated, but neither of us took our eyes away from staring ahead. "What…what is it like?"

"What's what like?"

"Well, I've read in studies before that mothers have an indescribable connection to their children while their pregnant, and even afterwards. Sometimes, the father, too, has a special connection. What's it like? How do you…how do you feel, about Elizabeth?"

I swallowed hard, trying to form into words things I didn't think I could speak. "Well, it's hard to explain…"

His head turned towards mine, his bright gold eyes burning into my own. "Try?" he asked softly.

I took a deep breath before continuing. "Think of every emotion possible—happiness, sadness, fear, elated, nervous, overjoyed—think of all those emotions. Imagine feeling every single emotion you've ever felt in your life and combine them all together. That's what I feel…every single day. I mean it's hard to explain, really. I just know that now…now, my life is not my own. My heart has always belonged to Edward, but now there's someone else to share it. And it's not like Edward lost a part of my heart to Liz. My heart just…grew." I shrugged, unsure of how to say it differently. "I know it sounds crazy, but—"

"No. No, it doesn't." A twinkle came into his eyes as he stared down at me. "Huh…"

"What?"

He shrugged and looked back out towards our family out on the field. "That's pretty much how I feel about my children…about you."

A tear sprang to my eye, but I didn't look away from straight ahead. "Me?"

"Of course, Bella. When you came into the hospital after almost being crushed by that van…that was a day that changed my life forever. Granted, it changed you and Edward as well, but it was something different for me. From that day, I worried about you, I cared about you, I…well, I can't say I loved you right then, because I didn't know you yet, but I knew that someday I would love you. And, Bella, that hasn't changed since then."

The tear slid down my cold cheek, leaving a warm trail in its wake. I didn't bother wiping it away, because I had a feeling more were to come. "Carlisle, I…I had no idea."

He let out a single laugh. "I didn't either…I had no idea how much you would change things…change all of our lives, for forever."

I folded my hands in my lap, unsure of how to ask him what I had wanted to ask for a while now. "Um, Carlisle?"

"Yes, dear?"

"When…when I've turned, things are going to be different. I have to let go of Charlie, and…well, it's going to be hard for me. I mean...I had such a short amount of time with him, because I was with my mom for so long…but I got used to having a father there. Promise me something?"

"Anything, dear." He slid closer to me and patted my knee.

"Promise me you'll be my dad, when Charlie is long gone. I mean, you're already like a father to me, and you take care of me…but I'm going to need you when I'm turned. I'm going to need a father, and—"

"Shh," he cooed. He wrapped a single strong arm around my shoulder, pulling me close to him. I rested my head against his stone chest, but I couldn't help but realize I had never been this close to Carlisle before—emotionally, at least. His hand brushed my hair back away from my face as he lightly kissed the top of my head. "I will always be your father, Bella, whether you want me to or not. I can't lie to you…it's going to be difficult in the beginning, but I swear I will do everything in my power to make sure you're okay. You know what you said about your heart growing for Elizabeth?"

I could only nod because I was afraid if I spoke I would choke on a sob.

"Well, the day you came into our lives, my heart grew for you, just like your heart grew for Elizabeth. So you see, no matter what happens, you'll always have some of my heart. I know I can never take the place of Charlie, and I don't want to. But I know if I were in his position, I would want to know my daughter will always be loved…and you will."

I nodded my head again, turning into his chest a little more. The tears ran freely down my face, but I wasn't sure exactly why. I was beyond happy to hear those words—for a while now I had wanted to talk to Carlisle about his role in my life, especially after the turn. But I was sad too, because I knew that by Carlisle gaining a larger role in my life meant Charlie was losing his…but Carlisle was right. He didn't have to replace Charlie. I could love them both, equally…and I knew, in my heart, I already did.

A loud thunder rolled out from the sky, just as rain started pouring. I jumped out of Carlisle's embrace, instantly pulling the blanket up over my head to shield myself from the freezing rain. I squinted out, trying to avoid getting water in my eyes, and searched for Edward, but he was already headed towards me.

"That's our cue to leave," he said briskly. The game had halted, but everyone except Edward was still out in the field. Edward turned back to the family. "Guys, I'm out. Sorry."

I heard grumbling come from Emmett, but no one protested. "I think I'd like to play some," Carlisle spoke up, already leaving our spot. He stopped, and while patting Edward on the back he said, "take care of her" softly.

With that, I willingly let Edward scoop me up in his arms as he ran to where the car was parked. I waved goodbye to the family before we left, but it was nice to be in the warm vehicle. Edward had buckled me in, started the car and cranked the heat up to full blast before I could say anything, but I was okay with that. I let my head fall back against the seat, a slow smile coming across my face.

"That was fun," I said cheerfully.

"I shouldn't have let you be out there, especially in the rain," he grumbled under his breath.

I raised my head up and lightly smacked my hand against his leg. "Oh, don't beat yourself up. I'm fine, you got me out in time…besides, I loved watching you."

He mumbled something I couldn't understand, but didn't argue any further. I tried to slyly watch him out of the corner of my eye, but I was in awe of my husband. The rain had gotten his hair wet, to the point where a few glistening beads were hanging off of his now almost black hair. His skin had a light sheen to it, glimmering from the light of the moon that was filtering through the windows. I reached over and ran my hand down the side of his face, unable to keep myself from touching him, and I could feel him resting his head against my hand.

"I must say, it was definitely a turn on, watching you out there," I whispered.

A throaty chuckle came from my god-husband. "Anything is a turn on for you at this point, Bella."

I couldn't help but shrug. "Touché," I retorted with a crooked smirk. I let my hand fall from his face down to rest on his lap while we drove the rest of the way home in silence.

When we got home, Edward was sure to carry me inside quickly to avoid any more of the rain. He flew up the stairs to our bedroom and hurriedly helped me into dry clothes. After I towel-dried my hair, we decided to lie in bed together, enjoying the comfortable silence around us. He held me in the crook of his arm as I traced random patterns on top of my baby belly.

After a few minutes, I felt Edward kiss the top of my head. "I heard bits and pieces of what you and Carlisle talked about tonight," his rich voice uttered.

"Mmm…" I mumbled in reply.

"I don't want you to ever worry about you not being a part of our family, Bella. You don't feel that way, do you?"

I lifted my head up to look at Edward in the eyes. "No, of course I don't. You…_all_ of you…you're my family. I know that," I reassured with a nod.

"Good. I love you," he reminded me.

"I love you, too, Edward." I shifted my weight up onto my elbow as I leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. His hair instinctually went to the back of my head, tangling his fingers in my hair. He pulled me closer into a deeper kiss as my heart began to pick up its usual speed whenever he kissed me like that.

All too suddenly, Edward drew back. "You need to get some rest…it's late."

I sighed, but I knew he was right. "Alright," I muttered as I went back into the crook of his arm. I felt myself dozing off to sleep quickly, which told me I was more tired than I had realized. Soon, I fell completely asleep and went into a world with dreams filled with an amazing family whom I loved, and who loved me. Yes, I knew that my change from human to vampire was going to be difficult at times, and I knew I was giving up a lot…but the fact that I would be able to spend an eternity with a family like this would make this transition a little easier.


	20. U Can't Touch This

_AN: I am SO sorry! So, I must shamefully admit, I lied. I really really wanted to get out two chapters at once, but it just doesn't look like that's going to happen. I've had this one written for the most part for awhile now, but I'm having trouble writing the next chapter. I felt so guilty, I thought I'd just go ahead and publish this one, then hopefully get out two chapters NEXT time._

_One of the reason why there's been a delay is because I'm working on my first novel. I had the idea for it awhile back, but I hadn't been working on it diligently until recently, and now I'm going full steam ahead on it. I promise though, I'm going to set some quality time aside to work on this story, and I should be cranking out chapters once that happens. Thank you guys AGAIN for all the support I've gotten from you all. I can't tell you enough how much it means to me. Also, thank you to the anonymous reviewers and those reviewers that don't have an account. I can't personally respond to the reviews, but thank you so much! They do NOT go unnoticed!_

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer. I am, however, in love with Robert Pattinson. The new Twilight trailer has restored my love for him.**

--

**Chapter Twenty: U Can't Touch This**

A few weeks had passed since the football game, and I couldn't help but notice how quickly everything was flying by. The bigger I got, the more I tried to do everything I could before I got too incapacitated from the pregnancy—that included spending time with Edward.

One day I talked to Alice about arranging some alone time for Edward and I. I had begged, complained and pleaded with her but finally she agreed to organize something for me. I guess she must have recognized my desperation, especially since I had come to her about the whole problem to begin with.

All of us, except Alice, were out in the living room one evening, none of us doing anything too important. Edward was reading a novel as I rested my head in his lap, impatient for our evening to begin. I had begged Alice to keep any of her plans from her thoughts, so hopefully Edward wouldn't know something was going on.

Alice came flitting into the living room and plopped herself down in a chair. She threw her hand across her stomach and sighed. "Man, I'm starving."

Edward looked up from his book with an arched eyebrow. "Alice, we just went hunting the other day."

Alice sighed again, this time adding a roll of her eyes. "Well, I'm bored. People eat when they're bored, right?"

"I guess," Edward muttered, going back to his book. I shot Alice a look that told her to work harder.

"Um…Emmett! Guess what I had a vision of earlier?" Alice spoke up, switching gears.

"Hmm?"

"Grizzly bears! Lots of them! But they're only going to be near us for tonight…we should go hunting!"

Emmett perked up, but then rolled his eyes. "Eh, it's no fun if you know they're here. I like to track them down first…"

Finally, Alice exhaled loudly. She stood up from the chair and glared around at the family. "Alright listen. Bella has been _begging_ me for some alone time with Edward, so could we just all leave the house for a few hours?"

"Alice!" I spat as I sat up from lying down. I glowered at her for telling everyone my motives.

She shrugged. "Sorry, Bella. Nothing else was working…"

"Bella?" Edward questioned.

I looked over at him pleadingly. "Edward, I'm sorry. It's just…it's almost that time when I won't be able to do anything in fear of inducing labor, and…I don't know, I just…wanted…"

"Ugh, jeez Bella, we got it!" Emmett said, waving his arms around. "We'll go, we'll go…"

Jasper and Emmett were already standing in the foyer, while Esme put down the magazine she was flipping through. I glanced over to where Rosalie had been, and she stood with her arms crossed over her chest.

"I'm not getting kicked out, just because Bella wants to get some," she snipped.

"Oh, Rose…it's not like you were doing anything," Emmett commented. She shot him a dirty look, but eventually walked over to where the family had gathered by the door. I looked over at Edward, who had a slightly embarrassed look on his face. _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea…_

"Alright. You get two hours…we'll go hunting, or something. We've all got our phones, so if you need us, you know what to do," Alice stated.

Before I could tell them to come back and forget I said anything, they were all gone. Silence lingered behind them, as Edward just sat confused.

"I'm so sorry about that," I apologized with a blush.

"Bella, if you wanted some time alone…we could have gone to the meadow or something, tomorrow."

"I know…but…it's, um, it's just—the ground is hard, and it's not too comfortable for me…"

Edward only sighed as he sat his book down on the end table next to the couch. His trademark crooked smile spread across his lips. "It's okay, love. I guess since we have the house to ourselves…"

"For two whole hours," I said eagerly with a smile. Briskly, Edward's arms swooped beneath my body and carried me up to our room. He laid me down in the middle of the bed, and positioned his body to where he was hovering above me, each arm placed next to the sides of my head. I could feel his body press against mine, but not too much to where it was uncomfortable…he was always sure to hold most of his weight off of me. His lips were firm and fierce against mine, as I ran my hand up and down his hard back, following the lines his muscles made.

I could feel Liz begin to kick like crazy in my belly, but I tried to ignore it as best as I could. I let my hand slip under the hem of his shirt; the instant contact between his freezing skin and mine sent shivers down my spine. Edward shifted all his weight off of me to give me room to pull of his shirt to reveal his perfect stomach. I couldn't help but smile to myself; I was one lucky woman. I tossed his shirt to the ground as he lowered himself back down closer to me. He leaned down to let our lips touch again, but something was blocking us.

He pulled his head back quickly, examining me. "Did you pull away?"

"What?"

He studied my lips, then moved down to kiss me…which he couldn't do. I tried raising my head up to make contact, but that only pushed his head farther up, our lips never colliding.

"What the…" Edward mumbled as he raised himself up. He looked me up and down, as our expressions seemed to match each other; neither one of us had any idea of what was going on. He looked down at my hand, and tried to grab for it, but something stopped him. I could feel the _presence_ of his hand, trying to wrap his around mine, but we never actually touched. I couldn't feel his cool skin against mine.

"What's going on?" I asked under my breath. Frustrated, he moved his hand up to try and run it down the side of my face, but once again something was blocking him from making contact with my skin. In a blur, Edward was up off the bed staring down at me.

He grumbled something angrily, then tried to slide his arms underneath my body to pick me up, but he was stopped once again. I knew he was trying to touch me, to lift me up…but he couldn't. He couldn't touch me.

He whipped his arms back out and planted them at his side, his fists balled up. "Bella, get up. I'm calling Carlisle…something's wrong." With that, he turned and took out his cell phone to call his father.

I hoisted myself up off the bed, and tried to catch up with Edward. When I walked out of the room, I saw he was already downstairs in the living room, muttering something to Carlisle on the other end of the phone call. I waddled down the stairs slowly, trying to focus solely on every step I took instead of the weird occurrence that had just happened. When I made it down the stairs, Edward had already hung up the phone.

"They're on their way," he said. His body hesitated in front of me—it was as if now he didn't _want_ to touch me.

"Edward what's going on? Why can't you touch me?"

His eyebrows came together in concentration. A deep frown set on his lips as he studied my face. "I don't know…I don't know what's going on, Bella." Slowly, he lifted his fingers up and inched them closer to my cheek. He extended a single fingertip out, and tried to brush it against my skin, but once again I couldn't feel anything, just like he couldn't either. With a sigh, he dropped his hand and moved over to the couch.

"Come, you should sit down. Get off your feet," he said blankly. I lowered myself down next to him as he flipped on the TV. I let my hand slide over to his, but then withdrew it swiftly, forgetting that for some freak of nature reason I couldn't touch him. God, I couldn't touch my husband…what _was_ going on?

--

"We're here, what's wrong? What happened?" Carlisle came in, in a rush. The rest of the family quickly filtered in behind him, everyone sharing a similar worried expression, except Rosalie—she just looked pissed off.

"Either that was the shortest sex on record, or something wasn't working right," she quipped.

"Touch her," Edward mumbled to Carlisle, ignoring Rosalie's comment. He had been quiet the entire time we were waiting for them to get home, and would only stare ahead at the TV, not really watching what was on.

"I'm sorry, what?" Carlisle asked as he hesitated in front of us. I looked up at him, concerned, while Edward kept staring forward.

"Touch her," he repeated, this time with more force.

Carlisle's eyes jumped between Edward and I, not really sure of what to do. I only nodded, extending out my hand, palm up.

"Touch me," I murmured. He extended out his hand immediately, and once again there was no contact between us. It was as if I could feel the coldness coming off of his skin, but I still couldn't feel actual contact.

"What…" Carlisle mumbled. He pressed his hand farther down, which only pushed my hand down farther along with it. The barrier that seemed to be surrounding every inch of me was still there.

"You can't touch her…no one can. I'm sure of it," Edward grumbled. I looked over through the corner of my eye at my husband, and his face was angry again. "I can't touch Bella…I can't touch my wife," he spat out, more to himself than to anyone else.

"Let me try," Alice piped in, shoving herself in front of Carlisle. I kept my hand extended as she raised hers to rest on top of mine. There was about an inch gap between her palm and mine, but I could tell she wasn't simply holding her hand away from mine. Like Carlisle, she pressed her hand down farther, but that only pushed my hand down too.

"What on Earth?" Alice exclaimed as she kept pushing harder. Regardless of how hard she pressed, she couldn't make her skin touch mine. Emmett moved forward to try too, but the same thing happened with him. No matter how hard anyone tried, no one could touch me.

"Okay," Carlisle cut in after everyone tried his or her own experiment, "we need to figure out what's going on. Bella?"

"Hmm?"

"Tell me what you were doing right before this started to happen. I mean _exactly_ what happened, with as much detail as possible."

A red flush came across my cheeks before I began. "Well, Edward and I…we were together…um, and then we…Edward was…"

"We were kissing. I was on top of her, and I moved back to take my shirt off, but when I tried to kiss her again, I couldn't. I couldn't do anything to her," Edward explained hurriedly. My red cheeks darkened at his explanation as I shifted my eyes downward.

I could hear a chuckle come from Emmett, but before he could make any jokes, Carlisle cut in. "Was that it, Bella? That's _all_ that happened? Nothing else you can think of?"

I paused and racked my brain, trying to remember everything in detail. "Um…oh, Liz started kicking like crazy, but I don't think—"

"Elizabeth," Carlisle mumbled to himself, cutting me off. He tapped a single finger against his lips, as he was deep in thought. "Bella how far along are you?"

I paused to count it in my head. "Um…25 weeks? Yeah," I confirmed with a nod.

"You think this is related to Elizabeth?" Edward suddenly jumped up after reading Carlisle's mind. I couldn't help but notice a spark in his eyes, as the blank expression started to melt away.

"Well, hold on, I don't know. Let me think this out a second," Carlisle mumbled as he started to pace around the living room. Edward sat back down on the couch, closer to me than before. I heard a sigh from Rosalie as she mumbled something and walked out of the room, with Emmett quickly following behind her.

"Let us know if there's anything new," Emmett called over his should before disappearing up the stairs.

Carlisle still paced, but I couldn't get much from his face to see what he was thinking. Instead, I watched Edward—his expressions flickered from confused to elated to angry. Obviously, Carlisle's thoughts weren't very fluid.

Suddenly, Carlisle stopped mid-pace. "You're 25 weeks along?" I only nodded in response.

"Oh…oh!" Edward and Alice both said at the same time. Jasper was quickly at Alice's side; I could tell she was getting a vision. Edward concentrated hard on Alice while she was in the vision, while Carlisle continued to rack his brain.

Alice's usual spark flared back into her eyes and face. "Oh my goodness!" she breathed.

Edward then turned to face me, a huge smile on his lips. _Well, that's a change from the anger, I guess._ "Looks like Liz is developing…"

"Quite a lot," Alice finished. I couldn't help but be confused.

"I'm sorry, I'm lost. How does that relate to what happened to me?"

Edward opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it. He concentrated hard, and then opened his mouth again. "Bella…Liz's powers are developing. This is…incredible," he sighed.

Instantaneously, Alice was kneeling in front of me, a glint of excitement in her eyes. "It's not just smell she blocks."

There was a pause from everyone. "Um…I'm sorry, what?"

"You're 25 weeks along! It makes sense!" Carlisle burst, obviously figuring out whatever was going on. Why did I always seem to be the last to know?

"Whoa, please explain to me what's going on here. I'm really confused."

"Bella," Edward began with his voice soft, "Liz is developing her gift. You know how we already know that Liz doesn't have a scent?"

"Yeah…"

"It's not that she doesn't _have_ a scent," Alice piped in, "she's just _blocking_ it."

Carlisle stepped forward, standing directly behind where Alice was. "You're 25 weeks along Bella. At this stage, the fetus is developing the sense of touch—"

"Which is why I can't touch you!" Edward finished, beaming. As I glanced around at Edward, Alice, and the rest of the family members in the living room, I saw they all had excited looks on their faces. Why wasn't I getting this?

"Uh…I thought you said she's blocking her scent. What does touch have to do with that?"

Edward's smile faltered ever so slightly as he explained. "Sorry, I think I'm getting ahead of myself. Bella, Liz…she's blocking her scent. Now, she's blocking the sense of touch, but—and Carlisle, I think you're right on this one—because she's just developed this sense, she doesn't know how to control it."

"So she's blocking _your_ touch," Alice interjected. I could only stare at her while I processed the new information.

"But…how come in your vision you knew she didn't have a scent? How come you didn't see her blocking her other senses?"

Alice shrugged, but still kept the gleaming smile on her face. "I guess it's because, being a vampire, we rely on scent so much. The first thing _I _would notice would be a lack of smell, rather than lack of touch or sound or something."

"Also, smell is the last sense to fully develop in a human. Maybe that has something to do with it?" Edward wondered.

"Could be…but man, this is exciting stuff! She's one powerful little girl," Alice cooed while rubbing my belly.

"So, let me sum up here…she can block the five senses? Like if she wanted to, no one could see her, taste her, smell her, touch her or hear her?"

"Quite a defense mechanism, I must say," Carlisle responded with a smile.

"Guess that's a good thing, especially with how much trouble we find ourselves in," I muttered.

"Elizabeth," Edward murmured towards my belly, "darling…I'd like to touch your mother, if that's alright with you."

We all paused for a moment, while Edward slowly reached out his hand towards Elizabeth. Hesitantly, he inched his hand forward until it rested against my belly—it worked!

Edward chuckled. "Thanks, sweetheart," he murmured again directly towards Liz. He then looked up at me, a flash of amusement in his eyes.

"Well…that was interesting."


	21. My Funny Valentine

_AN: Can I get a WOOT WOOT!? Yes! No? Okay whatever...anyways, I just wanted to send out a big THANK YOU to all my lovely reviewers! I've gotten over 200 reviews now, which I honestly never thought possible! You guys are terrific, and thank you so much for all the continued support._

_I have a previous promise to fulfil and a gift to give. My previous promise is two (yes, count 'em TWO) chapters! I feel so bad for being so slow on updating that I decided to give a double update. Now, my gift: not only are you getting two chapters, you're getting two LONG chapters! It's weird, the last two that I've written were incredibly long...so, I hope you enjoy. I realize both these chapters are relatively fluffy, but think of it this way: it's the calm before the storm...dun dun dun!_

_Anyways, keep rocking like all of you are, and keep reading and reviewing! Thanks again!_

**Disclaimer: Still not Stephenie Meyer. Still loving Robert Pattinson.**

--

**Chapter Twenty-One: My Funny Valentine**

Three weeks and three days later, we still found Liz's powers…interesting, to say the least. Although I was glad to see that she was so gifted, it wasn't exactly a fun evening when no one could touch me. It got worse when she had developed the sense of hearing, and while Alice and I were having a conversation one night, I was screaming at the top of my lungs, and she still could not hear me. I found that, after she developed this ability, it was much easier to just talk with her and ask her to control her gift. Half the time I felt like a crazy person, speaking to my unborn child who knew nothing of what I was saying, but Carlisle seemed to believe that Liz had an exceptionally developed brain function. So, although it was aggravating when people could not touch me or were deaf to me, I was pleased to hear that my child was so advanced.

One particular evening, Liz was being well behaved while I sat in Alice's salon-like bathroom. There were very few reasons why I would let Alice attack me with her makeup and hair products, and tonight was one of those special reasons: Valentine's Day. I personally hated the holiday, but I guess Edward had something special planned for us. Alice insisted that I be done up for the event, and since I had no motivation to do it myself, I had given her permission to attack.

I was sitting on her pink, fluffy stool in the bathroom when she pulled a silver brush through my hair.

"Ouch!" I glared at my tiny sister through the mirror, as a sheepish look crossed her face.

"Sorry…sometimes it's hard to judge how much pressure I need with your hair. It's so tangled!"

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms, letting them rest against my bump. This was ridiculous…I felt like Alice was playing dress up with a whale. As she combed my hair through and twisted random locks, I started to think of ways to back out of this…maybe if I just pretended to be sick…

"Uh-uh, I know what you're planning. You're going tonight, no complaints," Alice said sternly as she concentrated harder on my hair.

I let out a sigh and resigned myself. Well, whatever was happening tonight _must_ have been special, because Edward knew how I hated going out anymore.

"You could at least tell me where we're going," I grumbled.

A bright grin spread across Alice's face. "I _could_…and I would say, but I'd have to kill you, but I think it would be _Edward_ that would kill _me_, and I'd rather not die tonight. I mean, _someone_ has got to get you to looking beautiful for the evening!"

I snorted, but didn't press the matter. This family was good at keeping their secrets, and tonight I just didn't have the energy to press the matter. After Alice slid the last bobby pin in my hair, I examined myself in the mirror.

My face had swollen some, but there was an odd glow to my skin. I still was pale as ever—I nearly fit in with the rest of the family, while still being alive—but there was something different about me. I arched my eyebrows at my reflection, as I turned my head from side to side to get a better look at Alice's hair masterpiece.

"I must admit, Alice, the hair does something special."

She placed both her slim hands on my shoulders and leaned forward to where our eyes were at the same level. "Bella, it's not the hair. You look radiant," she whispered sweetly.

_Radiant_…interesting choice in words. These last couple of weeks I had felt like someone had pumped me full of air like a balloon and I could float away at any moment. But tonight, sitting in this beautiful, sleek bathroom, with my hair in pretty and intricate twists and coils, I could almost see what Alice was talking about. There was this odd flush to me, and even though I was bloated in every part of my body, I thought I looked…happy. A subconscious smile started to spread across my lips, which only grew bigger when I saw that Edward was standing in the bathroom doorway.

He leaned up against the doorframe, his eyes nearly burning under the bathroom light. He wore a deep, royal blue shirt and a sharp black jacket with matching slacks, looking like a male model. His top two buttons were undone, which added something sensual to his appearance…the gorgeous, crooked grin only added to that idea. His hair was its usual wild self, and his skin looked like pure marble, especially compared to his stark blue shirt.

Alice quietly slipped out of the bathroom, while Edward quickly took her former spot. "She's right, you know. You look radiant."

The smile was still on my face as I looked at him through the mirror. "I could definitely say the same for you."

I was still in the robe that I had been wearing before I put on my dress for the evening. He gently wrapped his hands around my arms and, while slowly tugging at the arm of my robe to expose my skin, leaned forward to leave a kiss on my shoulder. I closed my eyes and let my head fall backwards as he began to kiss a trail up from my shoulder to my neck, to my jaw line.

"Bella," Edward whispered against my skin. Goosebumps sprang up over my arms when his icy cold breath swept across me.

"Mmm…"

"You know, over these last couple of weeks—months even—something amazing has happened to you."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" I asked nearly incoherent, as I was entranced by the contact of Edward's cold lips against me.

"Well," he began as he switched to my other shoulder, repeating the same patterns as he did on the other, "it's like you…you're luminescent or something. I don't know how to describe it…"

I could help but giggle to myself. "I had noticed a change, too."

"It's like someone has lit a fire inside of you…it's mesmerizing," he breathed as I felt his stone fingers lightly breeze across the back of my neck, tracing my hairline.

I heard someone clear their throat behind us, but I couldn't open my eyes. I felt as if I was frozen there in place, unable to move because of the spell my captivating husband put me under. I felt Edward draw back away from me to see who it was.

"Sorry…I hate to bust this up, but…" Alice faded off. I reluctantly opened my eyes to glance through the mirror at Alice.

"But what?" I asked, encouraging her to continue.

"Nothing, love," Edward interrupted. He left a single kiss against my neck, as he started to walk out of the bathroom. I looked between him and Alice, and the expressions they had told me they were having a private, mental conversation. _More secrets,_ I thought to myself, wishing the evening would just hurry up and be done with so I could just _be_ with Edward. I loved being with him, obviously, but I felt like it was something different from when we were out in public than when we were together privately.

Edward had walked out of the room and Alice was once again, at my side. "Sorry, but time is of the essence!"

"Right," I groused. I sat there quietly and without complaint, per Alice's request, as she finished with my makeup. She backed away from me to give me a chance to examine the finished product. I was surprised at what I saw—she went relatively light on the makeup, only adding definition to my features, rather than cover them up. Once again, I noticed the sudden glow to my face…must be a pregnancy thing.

"Wow…thank you, Alice. You did a great job," I thanked enthusiastically.

"You gave me a great face to work with! _Now_ you just need to put on the dress…then you can have fun with the husband!" She flitted her arms towards the door as I slowly hurled myself from the stool.

When I walked into the bedroom, I saw a deep, navy blue halter dress with crystal rings around the straps. It looked short—with my belly, it probably only hit me around mid-calf—but it looked beautiful. I wasn't one for fashion, and since I had begun wearing maternity clothes, I was even less interested than before. But this dress, tonight, looked incredible.

"Alice…this is amazing! Thank you!" I gently picked up the dress, examining it closer. The material was soft and flowed easily.

"Here, let me help you put it on. I wouldn't want you to mess up your makeup or hair…." She unzipped the dress as I took off my robe, and she held it over my head as it swiftly slid down my body. I was pleasantly surprised when the dress didn't get stuck on my belly. Alice quickly zipped it back up and spun me around to look in the full-length mirror.

"Bella…you look fantastic," Alice beamed.

"For once, I must admit—I agree with you. You did an incredible job, Alice." I turned around to look her directly in the eyes. "You did an incredible job at dressing the whale," I joked with a huge grin across my face.

She only rolled her eyes and quickly flitted away. "Stay right there!" she yelled behind her before she left the room.

I turned back around to look at myself one more time in the mirror. My hands instinctually went to my belly, caressing my round stomach. Every now and then Liz would give a little kick, but I could tell she was probably going to be sleeping for a while. My skin had taken on a new shade since I had become pregnant—at first I thought it was shades of green, from all the morning sickness, but the farther along I became, a different skin tone settled over me. As I looked at my reflection I realized what it was: pregnancy really fit me.

It was ironic, especially since I had wanted to avoid being a mother. I felt like I had already raised a kid in Renée, and I didn't necessarily want to go through it again. Also, I knew motherhood was one of those things I would have to sacrifice to be with the one I loved, and I was more than willing to give it up. But here I was, a little over 28 weeks along, and glowing. I realized I loved being pregnant, even with all the little quirks that have come along. I loved being pregnant, and what I loved even more was knowing that _after_ I was pregnant, I was going to be a mother. Edward and I were going to parents—that thought alone could brighten any sad day of mine.

"I'm back," Alice chimed as she floated back into the bedroom. She had a pair of shoes in one hand and something shiny in another.

"What's that?"

She extended her hand out and in her palm rested two deep sapphire blue earrings. They were drop earrings, with diamonds at the post and a round sapphire hanging off of a short string of smaller diamonds. They were exquisite—the way the light bounced off of the precious gems reminded me of the way sunlight bounced off of Edward's exposed skin.

"Alice," I breathed. I was taken aback by the jewelry, especially since I hadn't expected such a beautiful gift.

"Alice was right. They go perfectly with the dress." I quickly spun around to face the door, shocked by the voice. Esme stood in the doorframe, a soft smile across her gentle lips. She took a step towards me, extending her hand out towards Alice for the earrings. "They were mine, when I was…alive. One of the few nice items I had growing up. I had been meaning to give them to you for awhile now, but I was waiting for the right time."

"Esme…wow," I managed to stumble out. She swiftly but carefully hooked the earrings into my holes. I could feel the stunning jewels swing back and forth as I moved my head.

"Perfect," Esme breathed. She rested her cold hands on either side of my face, cupping my cheeks softly. Her eyes were a crystal clear gold, and I could practically see the love she held flow out of her eyes and into my heart.

"Thank you, Esme. It was…unexpected. But amazing," I grinned. She leaned forward and kissed my forehead before dropping her hands and stepping back.

"You two will be late if we spend any more time in here," she warned, changing the subject.

I spun around and Alice was already placing my shoes on the ground. Thankfully, she had gotten me flats—they were delicate looking, and bright silver. They would match perfectly with my new earrings.

"All set!" Alice chimed once I slid my swollen feet into the shoes. We all walked out of Alice's room to go downstairs. As I carefully navigated the stairwell, I could already feel Edward's eyes on me with every step I took. Once I reached the bottom, he only stood there with an awe-struck expression.

"Incredible," he whispered as I slid my arm around his.

"Shall we?"

"Of course, love." Edward paused and turned to Esme and Alice. "Ladies…thank you. My wife looks…bewitching." A crooked grin sprung up on Edward's lips, but before anything more could be said he was leading us out of the house.

We got into the car and drove off into the night, but I was still completely unaware as to where we were going. I was lucky that it was so dark outside—I was afraid if I could see how fast we were going, I would have probably gotten sick. The ride was quiet, with just sparse conversation every now and then between us. I loved how we had this kind of relationship; there were no awkward silences with us. We were comfortable just _being_ with each other, and we never felt like we had to speak just to speak.

After about ten minutes, I could tell we were nearing Port Angeles. I saw the faint lights off in the distance ahead of us, and this boosted my curiosity.

"So, Edward…where are we going? It's killing me not knowing."

He only smiled and shook his head. "Give it a few minutes. We're almost there."

I sighed but didn't press it any farther. Liz had become relatively still, and I was thankful for that. Sometimes the kicking was distracting.

We drove into the town, and in a few moments we had pulled up in front of a familiar restaurant. When I glanced outside the window and saw where we were, I couldn't help but giggle.

"Look familiar?" Edward teased. Before I could respond, Edward was out of the vehicle and at my door, waiting for me to get out. He helped me up, and tipped the valet when he had taken Edward's keys. We walked inside the cozy restaurant, and were greeted by another familiarity.

"Reservation for Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, please," Edward cooed to the hostess. I hated it when he did that. Edward infatuated everyone normally, but when he added that extra velvet to his voice…there was no hope for us mere mortals.

"Uh, yes…welcome, um, back to La Bella Italia," the hostess stuttered. She grabbed two menus and turned her back to us. "Follow me."

As we headed back, I smiled to myself. So many incredible things had changed since I had been here. The hostess led us back to the same private booth in the back that Edward and I had sat in so long ago.

We sat down as she placed the menus in front of us. "Your, um, waitress will be here…soon," she mumbled as she walked away.

Edward didn't bother opening the menu, but instead stared ahead at me with a sheepish grin.

"Clever," I jested. He extended his hand out across the table to grab mine, and a sudden memory sprung to mind. I remembered the first time being here…he was so scared for me to touch him. Now, _he_ was reaching for _me._ I moved my hand over his as we laced fingers.

"I thought it was appropriate," he responded, still with an artful smile.

"Hi, wel—what…huh?" I glanced up and saw that same waitress from our first dining experience. She looked exactly the same, only this time shocked—she must have recognized us.

I glanced evilly back at Edward, who only continued to stare at me. I turned back to the waitress, who continued to gape at us both. "Hello," I said, trying to focus the waitress.

Her eyes snapped towards mine, and an odd expression crossed her face. "Have you been here before?"

"Oh yes, awhile ago. Before we were married, isn't that right, love?" Edward asked, smooth as always. I could tell what he was doing, and I couldn't help but want to join in.

"Yes, that's right," I responded as I moved my left hand to the table to rest it on top of our already entangled hands. I made sure the light hit my wedding ring.

The waitress stood there for a few moments, flabbergasted. She hastily whipped out her notepad. "What can I get you this evening?" she asked. There was something odd in her voice—resignation, perhaps?

"Coke, for me."

"Make that two," Edward added with a grin. I only shook my head. The waitress hurried away from our table and into the kitchen, all while Edward continued to stare at me.

"You're horrible."

"Whatever do you mean?" Edward feigned ignorance.

"Yeah, whatever. The poor lady…first you dazzle her, then you rub it in her face that you're taken."

"I'd rub it in anyone's face that I was taken. Everyone should know."

I grinned at his response, but I couldn't help but notice a change within me. Even right up to the wedding, I had been so scared of getting married young—I was afraid of what other people would think. Now that I was actually married to the love of my life, I realized it didn't matter. He was right—everyone _should_ know.

The waitress brought back the Cokes, and asked for our order.

"What did I get the last time, Edward?"

"Mushroom ravioli."

"Oh yes, I'll have that, please," I said to the waitress as I handed her the menu. She looked sadly over at Edward.

"And for you?"

"Nothing for me, please." He handed her the menu as well, but this time the waitress didn't argue. She sulked back to the kitchen, leaving us to ourselves.

"Thank you."

"For what, love?"

I surveyed the restaurant. It hadn't changed at all since the last time we were here; the same warm atmosphere drew me in and enveloped me.

"For everything. For bringing me here on Valentine's Day; for being my husband; for Lizzie…for everything."

"Well, there was nowhere else I wanted to take you for Valentine's Day. And I should thank you for allowing me to be your husband. And as for Lizzie…well, you had just as much input in that as I did."

I chuckled as Edward moved my hand to his lips. He gently kissed the top of my hand, his ice-cold lips sending sparks through my whole body. "Speaking of Elizabeth," he began as he sat my hand back down, "how's she doing tonight?"

"Very well behaved. I think she's asleep," I added.

"Mmm, that's good. I just worry sometimes…."

"Sometimes?" I asked incredulously.

Edward rolled his eyes. "Okay, I worry a lot. We'll leave it at that. I just want to make sure both of you are safe and happy."

"Edward. Are you planning on leaving any time soon?"

A sudden dark expression crossed his face as he considered my question. His eyebrows puckered together. "Absolutely not," he said firmly.

I smiled in response. "Then Liz and I will be absolutely safe and happy, as long as you're here and we're all together."

Edward was suddenly quiet as he still held the same expression. "Bella," he began, quieter this time, "please don't ever think I'm going to leave again."

"I know you won't. I don't doubt it for a second."

He sighed as he continued to gently rub his thumb on the back of my hand. His eyes only looked down at our hands or at the table…he was obviously upset at my question.

"What happened to the smile?" I leaned my head forward and down, trying to make eye contact with him.

He lifted his eyes up to meet mine. A slow, but beautiful, smile spread.

"That's better."

"Here you go." The waitress stood at our table, my food in her hand. She placed the plate in front of me, and the heat from the ravioli was visible. My mouth watered at the meal; I hadn't realized how hungry I was. I instantly started to dig in, while Edward watched me.

"Sorry," Edward spoke up after the waitress disappeared.

"For what?" I asked with my mouth stuffed with food.

He chuckled lightly. "For being a downer. I hope I didn't ruin the evening."

I rolled my eyes as I swallowed my mouthful. "Edward, you didn't ruin the evening."

"Good, because I have a little surprise for you after we're done here."

I eyed him suspiciously. "…Like what, exactly?"

He smiled wide, his teeth glinting from the light. "That's for me to know and for you to find out."

I shook my head. "I thought we were past evasiveness," I muttered as I stuffed my mouth once again.

I ate the meal quickly, but was completely full by the time the food was gone. I ate every bit of it, and drank both Cokes, but I was happy. With my stomach full, my baby quietly asleep in my belly, and my gorgeous husband at my side, I couldn't have asked for a better evening.

When we left the restaurant, we got back into the car and headed back in the direction of the house. I was still curious as to where the rest of the night would lead, but I didn't pester Edward. I was just enjoying our time together.

After awhile Edward took a different turn, and I was lost for a few minutes. Soon, however, I figured out where we were headed. Edward pulled the car over after driving down a beaten path a short distance. He helped me out of the car, but quickly went to the trunk. I soon saw he pulled out a think blanket, in which he wrapped me up. I was thankful for the blanket—after all, it was February. He silently picked me up in his arms and began running to our familiar meadow.

As we drew nearer, I saw a strange glow coming from where I knew the meadow was ahead of us. Once we flew into the clearing, I realized what the glow was: thousands of clear, twinkling lights were wrapped around the trees surrounding our meadow, giving the place a surreal feel. As Edward gently put me down, my mouth fell open. In the center of the meadow, there was a giant…_bed_?

"Edward, what's furniture doing out in the middle of the woods?" I asked as I approached the bed. It was similar to the bed at home, but the bedding was different. A thick white comforter covered the bed, while six fluffy pillows were piled up at the head. I let my fingers drag across the comforter, as the softness of the material made me want to curl up right then.

"Well, I knew that you couldn't just lay on the ground anymore, so I thought a bed might be more comfortable."

I turned to face Edward, and all my breath escaped my body. He was standing behind the headboard, his hands gently wrapped over the top of the frame. The lights surrounding the meadow sparkled, which threw interesting and alluring shadows across his pale face. The soft light made almost a halo effect around his body, which was definitely fitting; after all, he was my angel. A gentle smile was on his lips, but his eyes said so much more. They looked like a fire was set off deep inside his eyes, and the flames flickered and flared. The brilliance of the string lights surrounding us bounced off his amber eyes, which only added to the flames found in his bottomless gaze.

"Edward," I whispered. He moved deftly to my side and pulled the comforter and sheets down.

"Here," he said as he tenderly lifted me onto the bed. My whole body sunk down into the mattress, and I could feel all the pressure in my body easing ever so slightly. He slipped off my shoes and pulled the thick sheets up over my body. Like lightening, he was on the other side of the bed, lying down next to me on top of the covers.

The bedding surprised me. "Edward…it's really warm!"

He let out a throaty chuckle. "Heated mattress pad and blankets," he explained. He nodded over to a generator at the edge of the meadow.

I pulled the blankets up further over my shoulder, letting myself sink deeper into the luxurious bed. Edward slid his arm under my head, pulling me close to his chest. I noticed he had kicked off his shoes and had taken off his jacket. His sleeves were even rolled up at this point.

"Hmm…do you ever get tired of wearing so many clothes?"

"Only when I'm around you…they kind of hinder important things sometimes," he purred into my ear as he kissed my jaw line. I smiled as I buried myself further into his body.

"That's not what I meant, silly. I mean, it's not like you _need_ a jacket or anything like that…and I know it's just for appearances, but still…it's got to be frustrating sometimes."

Edward kissed my temple before responding. "I guess I don't pay attention to it. It's not like our body temperature changes either way. I could be wearing every piece of clothing I own or I could be wearing nothing at all, and I wouldn't feel any different."

I smiled as I kissed the base of his throat. "I prefer the 'nothing at all' scenario, personally…."

"Oh I know you do," he cooed. His lips found mine and pressed together softly at first. Our pace picked up quickly, however, and soon my hand was tangled in his hair as his hand moved up and down my arm.

Soon I had goose bumps covering my exposed skin. He pulled away, examining my arm. "You're cold," he noted.

"Just my arm. These blankets are really warm, actually."

Edward mumbled something, kissed my forehead and laid back into the bed. We both stared up at the nighttime sky, the beauty of the sky reflecting the beauty of the whole evening with Edward. I smiled to myself at how wonderful the evening had gone, even though I hadn't exactly been looking forward to it.

Suddenly, Edward's phone rang. He answered it before it rang a second time. "Hello?"

I looked up at him while he listened to whoever was on the other line. He was silent while the person spoke, sighing every now and then.

"Alice, whatever you're planning—" but his sister cut him off. I rolled my eyes, knowing something was up—something I probably wasn't going to like.

"Fine. But I don't like this," he warned. Oh no…that _really_ didn't sound good. I knew it couldn't be anything serious, because he wasn't acting alarmed or anything, but I couldn't help but worry.

He snapped the phone shut and stuffed it back into his pants pocket. He eyed me, but didn't say anything.

"Well, what is it?"

"Apparently, we've been banished to a hotel for the evening. Alice is forbidding us to come home."

I raised myself up on to my elbow. "What?"

He waved his hand, brushing aside my worries. "I don't know…she's up to something. It's nothing bad—or at least I don't _think_ it's nothing bad…although with Alice, you can never tell."

"Ugh," I grumbled as I fell back against the bed. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, breathing in the woodsy smell of the forest.

"C'mon," Edward groaned as he sat up in the bed. "We should probably get you into somewhere actually heated. This can't be good for you to be out in the cold…."

I moved to throw the blankets off of me, and Edward was already at my side helping me up and out of the bed. We left the bed in the meadow, and I figured he would be out there at some point to take it back to wherever its new home would be. He carried me to the car and we headed back to Port Angeles.

My eyes felt heavy on the drive back, and I could tell my evening was definitely drawing to an end. I drowsily got out of the vehicle once we reached the hotel, and was only partially aware of Edward checking us in. Apparently, Alice had already made reservations for us that evening, and she was sure to reserve the nicest room in the entire hotel.

By the time we got to the elevator, it hit me. "Hey!" I said, perking up a bit. "We don't have any of our clothes or anything. What are we going to do?"

Edward, whose arm was wrapped around my shoulder and holding me close, only shrugged. "I can probably go get us something real quickly, once we get up to the room."

I let my head fall against his chest. "I guess…I just wish I knew what this was all about."

"We'll find out soon enough."

The rest of the elevator ride was silent, and once we reached our floor Edward had offered to carry me to the room. I agreed, only because I was so tired I felt like I could barely walk. This was pretty much how it was every evening—a certain time hit, and my whole body just shut down for the night.

He carried me to our room, and when we walked in Edward chuckled. I lazily opened my eyes to look around as he set me down. "Looks like we don't have to worry about that," he said under his breath.

I saw in the open closet, a suitcase with clothes for the both of us. I smiled, glad to know that Alice had at least taken care of us during the inconvenience. Edward pulled out my nightclothes and helped me out of the soft evening dress. I let my hair down as Edward gently removed the earrings.

Once I was comfortably in bed, Edward took off his shirt and put on more comfortable pants. He was on top of the covers as I buried myself deep within.

"Mmm…sorry I'm so out of it."

"Don't be sorry, Bella. You need rest." He pulled the blankets higher up and over my shoulders. His cold lips pressed against the top of my head as he spoke. "Go to sleep, love. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," I sleepily mumbled, already starting to doze off completely.

I didn't know what was going to happen tomorrow, but then I didn't care. I had a wonderful night with Edward, and I was happy—truly, without a doubt, completely happy. It was an odd feeling to experience, especially since it felt as if we only ever struggled and fought to keep everyone together and alive. Happiness…it was a nice break from the fear of losing each other.


	22. Baby, What A Big Surprise

_AN: Short note here: first, this is the longest chapter by far! Second, the games that I mention in here are actual baby shower games...you're more than welcome to steal them if you happen to ever plan a baby shower. Third...there is no third. I'll shut up now._

**Disclaimer: You know who I'm not, and what I don't own, so I don't think I need to say it again.**

--

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Baby, What A Big Surprise**

"Uh…" I grumbled as I tried to roll over to my side. I threw my arm across my eyes, blocking out what little light filtered through the window. It was too early…I didn't even know what time it was, but it was just _too early_.

"Good morning, beautiful."

I raised my arm slightly to peak up at Edward. He was lying next to me with a hidden smirk on his face.

"Hardly," I moaned as I rolled to my opposite side, towards the small alarm clock that was on the nightstand. 11:30…wait, 11:30?

"Oh my gosh!" I shouted as I popped up into a sitting position. It was 11:30 already…how did I sleep in so late? "Why didn't you wake me?" I turned to face Edward with panicked expression, but was only met by a coy smile.

"You looked so peaceful…I didn't want to disturb." He leaned forward and kissed my cheek. I moaned a second time, but threw the covers off of me and got out of bed.

"Oh man, I need to get ready. We need to get a start on the day!" I stretched my arms up before moving—my whole body felt stiff.

"We don't even know what's happening today," Edward said after he appeared directly in front of me. "How do you know we need to get a start on it?"

I glared up at him, but realized he was right. I had no idea of what to expect…who's to say I needed to get ready _now_? Couldn't I wait? Sleep in a bit more, maybe watch some TV…

Too suddenly, Edward's phone was ringing. He answered it with a scowl. "What Alice?"

He paused and then gave me a sheepish grin. "Fine, I'll tell her," and with that he shut his phone.

"Alice said to tell you that there isn't enough time to sleep in and watch TV. She said we need to get ready now."

I rolled my eyes and headed over to the closet for some clothes. I bent down to rifle through the suitcase, and as my hands found the outfit for today my face went white.

"Oh no. This can't be good." I pulled out a blue jersey dress, which was soft but did _not_ bode well. If Alice had picked out our clothes for today, this meant it was an occasion to which I needed to wear a dress…_any_ occasion in which I needed to wear a dress was _not_ my idea of fun.

Edward was at my side as he opened the suitcase farther. He saw Alice had packed him one of his favorite button-up shirts and a nice pair of slacks. "Looks like it's something special," he observed.

For the third time that morning I moaned, already not looking forward to the day. Whatever Alice had planned it was something special, and something special meant something _big_. I hated surprises…especially big surprises. I stumbled into the nice, clean bathroom and took my shower. While I dried my hair and dressed, my brain racked over the possibilities for the day.

I knew it wasn't a birthday…and it wasn't an anniversary…Edward and I just celebrated Valentine's Day last night, so it was a little redundant to celebrate it again…I just had no clue as to what to expect.

When I came out of the bathroom, all dressed and ready, Edward sat at the edge of the bed, while mindlessly flipping through the TV channels.

"Anything good on?"

He turned to face me, and his eyes lit up. "Bella! You look wonderful," he said with surprise. His lips parted into a smile as I blushed from the attention.

I muttered thanks and moved to put on my silver shoes from last night. I noticed that Alice had planned it to where my accessories from last night matched what I wore today. I saw the delicate silver earrings sitting on the nightstand, and I wanted to put them on, but I figured they were a little too fancy for the day.

I sat down on the bed, already tired from getting ready. "I'll pack up for us," Edward offered as he kissed my forehead. In mere seconds, all of our clothes from last night were neatly folded into the suitcase, while everything else was ready for us to leave.

"Well, this was nice. A night away from the house…we should do this more often," Edward suggested as we walked down the hallway and back to the elevator.

"Yeah, just a little heads up before hand would have been nice."

Edward checked us out and got both of us into the vehicle, and we were once again driving back home. The sky was overcast, but it wasn't dreary—there was an odd light cast from the clouds. It wasn't bright enough to reflect off of Edward, but it was bright enough to not seem so…dark.

We drove home, only sporadically discussing what could possibly be happening for the day. As we neared the turn off to the house, Edward's face went blank.

"Edward? What's wrong?"

He shook his head, concentrating on the road. "You're not going to like this…I _told_ her not to…" he mumbled, more to himself than to me.

I was getting ready to ask what he meant, but instead I glanced out the window, and saw exactly what he meant. Ahead of us, balloons lined the road leading to the house in all shades of girly colors. Pink, white, lavender, and pale yellow decorations stood out against the dark greens and browns of the forest surrounding the house, and I started to have an idea of what was happening.

When we pulled up to the house, cars were parked all over. I recognized most—in fact, _all_—of the cars, and I knew I did not want to see some of the vehicles' owners.

"Oh no…no, no, no…she _didn't_!" Next to the house, there was an archway made out of balloons, and under that led a path from the front of the house to the giant backyard. The decorations gave nothing away, but I didn't need the decorations to tell me what this was for: it was a baby shower.

Edward parked the car, but stalled before he got out. "Bella, you can stay in here if you want. I'll go talk to Alice."

"No, wait," I sighed as I rested my hand on his arm. I stared ahead of me, looking down the small trail that led to the backyard. I knew what was waiting for me there: family, friends, and enormous amounts of unnecessary attention. However, I couldn't be a poor sport about it. Alice loved doing things like this, and baby showers were a normal thing, right? She probably worked really hard on setting this up, and so many people were already here…I couldn't just tell them to go home, because I didn't want the attention. "We'll go. But you are staying with me…I don't care what Alice says."

"Bella, you don't have to. I know you hate things like this."

"No, I will." I turned to face Edward, and I saw the skepticism on his face that I knew I'd fine. "Hey," I said with false cheeriness, "who knows, it could be fun."

He arched an eyebrow, but didn't say anything else. When he got out and helped me out of the car, we slowly followed the designated path into the large yard. When we turned the corner, I was surprised by what I saw—Alice definitely had done a magnificent job on the decorating. It wasn't your typical baby shower décor; it was sophisticated and classic, with a wide array of pink, purple and white flowers covering most surfaces. Clear lights were strung through the trees, and a large gauzy tent was set up in the center of the yard. Vines and flowers were strung around the tent, adding a fairy-tale atmosphere. Paper lanterns hung under the large tent, where my family and friends waited for us to approach the crowd.

"Surprise!" Alice yelled as she burst out of the group of people. She threw her arms wide open and gracefully glided over to us. She wrapped her stone arms tightly around me, hugging me as close as she could. I couldn't help but smile and hug her in return—her enthusiasm was contagious.

"Yes, it is," I commented gently once she released me from her grip. I still held the smile on my face, which grew from forced to genuine. Even though I hated any and all parties, it was good to see everyone together. I glanced behind Alice and saw Angela right away, with a smile much like mine. She was holding hands with Ben, and I was happy to see them still together. The whole family was there…even Emmett, who looked shockingly handsome in his button-up shirt and nice dress slacks. Jessica was there, as was Mike. Edward was probably less than thrilled to see Mike there, but I wasn't surprised he showed up.

"Wow, everyone's here!"

"Of course, silly. We all wanted to be here to celebrate!" Alice wrapped one arm around mine and slid her other arm around Edward, pulling us both forward.

Underneath the tent was even lovelier than outside. There were round tables, all placed in a circle around the tent. They all had white tablecloths, except for one, and a beautiful arrangement of white, pink and purple flowers. Tea light candles were placed on the table as well. The soft lights coming from the paper lanterns gave the tent a rosy haze, which only added to the dream-like atmosphere. It was beautiful…all of it. How could I have _not_ wanted to be here?

"Surprise!" Esme repeated, only this time with delicateness to her voice. When Alice released me, Esme moved her arms smoothly around my shoulders, drawing me into a warm embrace. When she pulled back, she gently kissed my forehead and combed her fingers through my hair.

One by one, the guests came up to greet Edward and I, all with a "congratulations" of some kind. Last to greet me was Charlie.

Instantly, tears stung my eyes—it had seemed like forever since I had seen Charlie, and I knew each time I saw him it was harder and harder for him to come to terms with the baby. He had finally given his full support, but I knew it wasn't necessarily out of happiness, but out of resignation. The baby was coming, whether he liked it or not, so he must have decided to just give up the fight.

"Dad."

"Bella," he said fondly. He kissed the top of my forehead, and my cheeks flushed red. I still wasn't totally used to affectionate moments between us, so any moment like this was still an anomaly. He took a step back from me, and slowly placed his hand on my belly. I could feel the warmth of his hand through my dress, which made me smile.

"Thank you, Dad…for being here." I looked up into his eyes, which he kept averted down towards my belly. I saw a glossy sheen to them—was he tearing up like I was?

"Of course, kiddo," he mumbled while dropping his hand. He sniffed…yep, he was definitely getting emotional.

"Well," Alice chimed in, giving Charlie and I an out from the awkward emotional stuff, "Bella there's food and drinks out. In about ten minutes we're going to start!"

I furrowed my eyebrows together. "I thought we already started."

Alice waved my comment away. "No, silly…we'll start the games!"

Oh no. This wasn't good. One thing I hated more than parties were parties _with games_. Edward must have read my hesitation on my face, because he slid his arm around my waist.

"Don't worry, it's harmless," he whispered into my ear and kissing my temple. I looked up into his eyes, and I didn't see any doubt. Okay, he was right—this was just a baby shower. How much trouble could it possibly be?

I made my way over to the table that was set up with food and was happy with what I found—every food that I had ever craved in the last seven months was laid out on the table, waiting for me to eagerly digest. I grabbed a plate, but Edward quickly took it from my hands.

"Allow me," he said sweetly. He smiled as he looked down at me. "What would you like, love?"

"One of everything, please," I responded with a large grin. I hadn't realized I was so hungry until I saw all of this food, and I knew my eyes were probably bigger than my stomach but that wouldn't stop me. He quickly filled up my plate with my requests, and filled a cup with ice water once we reached the refreshments. We sat down at the table that was obviously set just for us—the tablecloths were all white, except for one, which had a pink tablecloth.

I immediately dived into the food, not coming up for many breaths. I ate quickly, and washed it all down with my water. Once I was finished, I wiped my mouth with a napkin and looked up to an enthralled Edward.

"What?"

He shook his head as he suppressed a laugh. "You…we should have been timing that. I'm sure you set a record…."

I slapped his arm, but I knew I felt it more than he did. "Oh shut up."

"Okay everybody!" Alice's voice rang out over the soft murmurings from the groups of people. She clapped her hands together to get everyone's attention. "Time to get the ball rolling!" She walked over and stood next to where Edward and I were sitting.

"Alright, we're going to play the first game, which is called 'Make the Baby'! As you all can see, underneath the vase of flowers in the center, there is a small stack of magazines. Esme is going around passing out scissors for each table. Each table needs to flip through these magazines and cut out physical attributes and qualities that you think Elizabeth will have. Once each table is done, the Mother- and Father-to-be will decide on who's the winner! The winning table will get a prize, so make it good!"

Once Alice was done giving her speech, I yanked on her arm a bit. "Alice," I whispered harshly, "don't you think you have an unfair advantage? We already know what she's going to look like, remember?"

"Oh, I'm not playing. Because I know I'd win," she added with a smug expression. I only rolled my eyes. "Plus," she continued, "that'll make it easier to judge."

Each table was scrambling to piece together an image that might resemble my child, and as I observed everyone I couldn't help but be happy at the enthusiasm from them. Even Charlie looked like he was getting into it. I guess a little competition never hurt anyone….

"They look like they're having fun," Edward whispered in my ear. I looked at him with mock-surprise.

"And I thought you couldn't read my mind…." I smiled and kissed his lips quickly. He had his arm draped over the back of my chair, and was lightly massaging my lower back. I closed my eyes and let my head fall forward, enjoying the immediate relief from the massage.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Mmm…" was all I could manage. He pressed a little harder, but not too forcefully. He moved his hand in circles, rubbing all across my lower back and slowly down to my tailbone. I kept my eyes closed, only wanting more from him. Too soon, Alice clinked her glass.

"Okay everyone, time's up!"

My head immediately popped up. "That wasn't enough time, Alice," I hissed.

"Bella, I gave them thirty minutes." Wait…thirty minutes? Man, time was flying by. "Okay people…let's see those babies!" She floated from table to table, gathering the masterpieces from each group. She brought them all and fanned them out in front of me.

"Let's see here," Edward mumbled as he leaned forward to get a better look. One stood out the most—whoever made the baby, decided to give her bright, green eyes. _Cheater,_ I thought. I knew it was one of my in-laws, because we were the only ones who knew about Liz's green eyes.

The cutouts were all very creative, but something really spoke to me. It was interesting to see what people noticed in Edward and I, and what qualities they thought would carry on to our child. All the babies were very pale—which was to be expected—but everything else was varying from baby to baby. One had big, brown eyes like mine; another had Edward-like full lips. One team had cut out hair and glued it to the baby, and the hair was exactly like Edward's…this one made me laugh. But the common thread of each of the babies was the beauty—each child was stunning, even if they were all pieced together.

I ran my fingers over each one, and I knew I was completely incapable of choosing. "Edward," I breathed. I looked up into his eyes and he was smiling. "I can't choose. They're all beautiful."

His smile became smaller, but softer. "I know. I can't choose, either."

"I think this one," Alice said, tapping her finger on the green-eyed baby. Even though I knew a cheater had contributed to it, the cut out was definitely one of the cutest. "Alright, we have a winner!" Alice announced to the group. She held up the cut out and showed it off to everyone.

"Yes!" Emmett jumped up from his seat with his fists in the air. I should have known it was him. He'd do anything to win a game….

"Congratulations, guys! You'll all get a prize at the end of the shower," Alice said sweetly as she walked over and started passing around the cut out. Emmett sat back down, all while beaming from his victory. I heard him mutter something about "his idea" to Mike at the table next to his.

"Okay, we're going to move on to the next game! I'm _really_ excited about this one," Alice stated, while turning over her shoulder and throwing me a wink. "Could all the guys here move their chair in front of the tables so they're sitting in the circle?"

Slowly, all the males obliged, including Edward. I was anxious that he wasn't sitting next to me, but I was intrigued at the new game. Alice had brought out a bag of balloons while everyone got situated. "Do all the guys have shoelaces on their shoes?"

They looked at each other questioningly, but all answered yes. "Good. Untie them, please," Alice commanded. As they began to do that, she turned and spoke to the remaining women at the tables. "Ladies, could you be so kind as to blow up one balloon for each male guest?" she asked as she began to pass them around. Esme, Rosalie and Alice were, not surprisingly, done before the rest of us, but we all were soon holding balloons, ready for whatever was coming.

She quietly glided out to the center of the circle, and she reminded me of a regal lady, holding her court. It was amazing at what kind of presence she had. "Ladies…we all know that there are many things—sometimes difficult things—that women have to experience and men do not. A big, huge pregnant belly is definitely one of those things…am I right, Bella?" she turned and asked me. I felt the heat creep over my cheeks from embarrassment. She smiled as everyone chuckled, and continued. "However, today…our lovely male guests get a little glimpse into what it's like." She paused and walked around the circle to gather the balloons from the women in the crowd.

"Guys, put these under you shirts, as if you were pregnant." A few moans came from Charlie and Jasper, but I could see Emmett's face lighting up. He was up to any challenge, that much was obvious. I saw Edward smile at me crookedly, as he pulled his shirt out of his slacks and exposed his perfect abdomen. I flushed deeper, only this time it wasn't from embarrassment—it was from lust. He quickly stuffed the balloon under his shirt, and pulled it back down over.

"The object of this game is for you, gentlemen, to tie your shoes…without popping the balloon or lifting your feet off the ground." Alice beamed and walked out of the circle. "Get started!"

Immediately, I saw Emmett throw himself forward, with obviously too much force. His balloon was the first to pop, which made an odd shotgun noise against his granite stomach. I saw him throw his arms up and curse, but stood up to walk out of the circle. Instead of going back to his table, he came over to me where I was trying very, _very_ hard not to out right laugh.

"This isn't fair," he complained as he sat next to me while crossing his arms over his chest. He reminded me of a little boy that just lost out in a Musical Chairs game.

I leaned over and patted his leg. "_Trust_ me…what's not fair is I can't just pop the balloon or take it out of my shirt. Now you know how I feel." I turned to watch the rest of the men bend and struggle to perform the simple task…now it wasn't so simple.

Charlie's was next to pop, followed soon by Mike. My eyes skimmed over to Jasper, ever the strategist, as he sat with a finger tapping against his lip, trying to figure out the best maneuver before he made any moves. He would twitch slightly one way, but then draw back quickly, realizing it wouldn't be successful. I stifled a giggle, and let my eyes continue to wander. As the echoes of popping balloons rang through the tent, one by one nearly all of my vampire family was eliminated, save for Jasper.

When Edward came to sit next to me after Emmett moved back to his table, he sighed. "That was harder than I thought."

I couldn't help but laugh at the exasperated expression on his face. "And I thought you were perfect at everything…."

He shrugged but a smile remained on his lips. He leaned over to kiss my forehead and my heart swelled. More balloons burst from the pressure of the men's chests, and soon only

Jasper and Ben were left. I knew that, even though Jasper was probably formulating strategy after strategy to get the task accomplished, Ben would probably win. He was slighter than Jasper, and obviously not the same consistency as a boulder.

Jasper hesitantly leaned forward, obviously trying to shift his weight around the balloon. He had the strings in his hands, but when he moved to cross them over each other, the balloon popped.

"Damn it!" he yelled. Ben straightened up from surprise, and then surveyed the room—he was the winner.

"Hey…I won!" he announced, excitement obvious on his face. Angela walked out to where he was sitting and kneeled down in front of him, helping him finish tying his shoes. Ben warmly ran his hand over Angela's hair, an enthusiastic grin spreading across his lips.

"They're so perfect for each other," I leaned over and whispered to Edward as Alice awarded Ben the prize.

Edward smirked…I was surprised by his reaction. "What's that look for?"

Edward chuckled and leaned over to whisper back. "I never told you how Angela and Ben finally got together, did I?"

My eyes widened with wonder. "How do _you_ know?"

Edward's expression shifted to mock offense. "What's _that_ supposed to mean? I did go to school with you…and Angela, and Ben."

"Oh, c'mon Edward…it's not exactly like you were Mister Social in high school, or anything."

He shook his head, but continued. "Well…let's just say when we first met each other, and I was listening to you through other people…Angela's head was always the safest place. She's so…_genuine_. She's much like you, and very unlike everyone else your age."

"And how does this relate?" I arched an eyebrow, waiting for more information.

"Well," he continued, "I thought I'd pay her back for being a good person. I found there was something she wanted, and I helped her get it…"

I paused to think of what he was saying, when it clicked. "And that 'something' was Ben?"

He only averted his eyes over to the couple in question, watching them interact with each other. Although, physically, they looked mismatched, they were obviously and completely meant for each other. The way they looked at each other, and spoke to each other…it was an amazing thing to observe.

"Wow…you're their match maker!" I said in surprise. I looked up over at him as his gaze danced with amusement. "Not bad, Edward…not, bad."

"Let's just say, love inspires love." He had slung his arm back around the chair and began softly rubbing circles over my shoulders and neck.

"Okay, everyone, this will be the last activity before we start opening gifts." Alice spun around and faced Edward and I. "Bella, Edward," she began again, only with a softer tone, "when everyone got here, we asked them all to write down one tip of advice or something to remember. We all know that things might get—stressed—but hopefully these things will help you two get through it."

I sat a little straighter in my chair, anxious to see what was happening. Alice came walking over and had a long string between her two hands. Strung along were cut out hearts of all different types of patterns and sizes, with writing on them all.

"I thought we could hang this up in the nursery," she said sweetly as she laid the hearts down in front of us.

"Appropriate, being that Valentine's Day was yesterday," Edward noted with a grin. He and I leaned forward to read what each one said.

_Take lots of pictures, to remember all the important stuff._

_Don't forget to take some time for yourselves…that's why families are there to baby-sit._

_Sleep when she sleeps, because that's the only chance you'll get._

_Time flies, so enjoy every moment._

_A baby is the most precious gift anyone could have. Remember this when you're up at three in the morning…_

Each message made me cry, and laugh, but overall I was completely overwhelmed with all the love that my family and friends were sharing with me. With each note, I came closer and closer to the realization that everyone there that night loved us so much and wanted to see us do well. Even Mike and Jessica—despite the past—seemed as happy as they could be for Edward and I to be embarking on this new path. I ran my fingers over each heart softly, recognizing some of the handwriting. There was one that stood out to me the most:

_A parent's love for their child is unlike anything imaginable._

I instantly recognized the scrawl as Charlie's—his handwriting wasn't too unlike my own. A single tear ran down my cheek as I read and reread his words. Yes, a parent's love was definitely unlike anything…I always knew he and Renée loved me dearly, but now that I was getting ready to become a parent myself, I finally understood how deep and profound that love truly was.

I looked up and gazed directly at Charlie. He caught my stare, and half smirked while averting his eyes elsewhere. I cleared my throat before I could speak. "Thank you…everyone. This means so much…really."

I felt Edward gently squeeze my shoulder in support. "These are all kind words. We appreciate the love and the support that all of you have shown us," he concluded with a smile.

I looked back down at the hearts and was momentarily lost in thought. I heard Alice clear her throat and direct everything towards the gifts—this alone, was gift enough.

"Open this one first!" she exclaimed as she shoved a present in front of me. My focus was ripped from the encouraging words to the abundance of unwrapped gifts.

I half smiled, but before I opened the gift I hesitated. I leaned over to whisper to Edward. "Maybe you should open them…I want to avoid paper cuts."

His expression flickered from shock to carefree. "If you insist." He leaned over and started opening the gift. It was an odd shape—I could tell it wasn't a box or anything like that, and it wasn't too thick…maybe two inches, at max. It was square in shape and wrapped in a beautiful paper. As Edward tore the paper off, it was slowly revealed.

He laid it out in front of me, his hand hovering above it.

"Esme and I worked on it the most, but everyone's had some input," Alice informed us. In front of me was a beautiful scrapbook. I ran my hands over the front that was covered in cloth—there was a green, pink, and white floral pattern with gold threads running through it. It was delicate and fresh, and it matched exactly how we had decorated Liz's room.

I turned the front cover to the first page. It was already decorated, and the first picture I saw was a photo from Edward's and my wedding. All the Cullens, Renée and Phil, and Charlie were in the photo…it was the perfect photograph to start with. A smile came to my face as I thought back to that night—we were all smiling like fools, and it was one of those rare nights where we all were a little more carefree.

"That's so she always has a picture of her family," Alice pointed out. I smiled as I flipped the page. The next few pages were decorated, but there weren't any photographs. I looked up confused.

"You see, we all decorated our own page just for Lizzie. As she grows up, we can put our pictures with her in the scrapbook."

"Wow, this is…amazing," I managed to finally say. I could easily distinguish whose page was whose—Esme's was classic and simple, while Rosalie's was ornamental and striking. Emmett's stood out the most, with a background showcasing different sports, rather than going with the rest of the theme of the scrapbook.

I laughed, and Emmett must have realized what I was seeing. "I'm going to fill my page up with all her pictures of her in sports…just you wait and see!"

At that moment, I felt a small kick from Liz. "Well, Emmett, I have a feeling she'll be into soccer. She definitely kicks enough."

Emmett paused for a second. "Soccer, huh? Hmm…I guess I could work with that."

I rolled my eyes as I continued to flip through. After the first six pages, I saw my ultrasounds. There were also a few pictures of Edward measuring out my belly by his markings on the wall. I mentally cringed—there's no way she'd want to see her mom's pregnant exposed belly.

"Thank you, so much," Edward said. I looked up at him and he was smiling softly while nodding an appreciation to his family.

"Alright, alright, let's keep the ball rolling," Emmett called out. Everyone laughed at his impatience.

We opened gift after gift, all of which I felt were unnecessary. The beautiful thing about my family was that we were never in need—what we needed, or wanted for that matter, we could afford. It was a hard concept for me to get used to at first, but when the reality of a baby hit me, I found it relieving.

Once we were done, Edward and I went around and thanked the guests individually. We all socialized for a little afterwards, but it was obviously getting late. As Edward and I wandered around, I couldn't suppress a yawn.

"Sleepy?"

I nodded sheepishly. "So much excitement for one day."

The rest of the crowd must have felt the same, and soon everyone was filtering out. I said awkward goodbyes to Mike and Jessica, but sadly said farewell to Angela and Ben. Soon, only Charlie was left.

"So, are you sure I can't help clean up or anything?" he asked as he wandered around the tent.

"Oh no," Esme said waving him off, "don't worry about it. We'll get it cleaned up in no time."

"I don't know…it looks like an awful lot."

"Don't worry, Charlie, we got it covered!" Emmett chimed in as he threw his arm around him. He hugged him tight to his side, and Charlie was obviously taken aback from his strength.

I couldn't help but laugh at the sight. "Right, right," Charlie mumbled after Emmett let him go. He straightened his shirt out, and then looked at me.

"Have you spoke to your mother lately?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Dad."

"And she's coming out here?"

"Yes…she's flying out a week before I'm due."

"And you're keeping her updated on everything?" His eyebrows drew together in a concerned expression. He had placed both hands on his hips and he looked at me expectantly.

"Dad," I threw my hands on top of his shoulders, "yes. I'm keeping her updated and I send her my ultrasounds as soon as I get them."

"Okay…just remember what I told you." After I had told Charlie I was pregnant, a few weeks later we had another talk. I explained to him that I had told Renée and she was surprisingly excited for the news. He had been as shocked as I was with her reaction, but we both knew we could never tell what she was going to do or say. He had made it a point to me that I _had_ to keep her as involved as I possibly could, and I couldn't use her distance as an excuse.

"That's part of being a responsible adult, Bells. You have to keep on that," he lectured to me, that night of our conversation. I had assured him that there was no way I was going to keep Renée out of the loop, and even if I tried to, she would have been on the first plane out here.

"I remember what you told me," I said, returning to the present situation. "She knows what's going on, and I'm pretty sure she shows off the ultrasound to any poor soul she meets. You know how she is…"

That old, sad look Charlie got whenever he thought too much about Renée flashed for a brief moment across his face. "Yes, I know," he responded quietly. He shook his head, and then patted my hand. "Well…guess I should take off then."

I could tell he was hesitating to leave…he got like this any time we saw each other nowadays. "Hey, how about this. There's a few things still at your house I'd like to go through…you know, for Liz. Maybe in the next couple of weeks I could stop by? Maybe cook you some dinner, for old time's sake?"

His eyes crinkled as he smiled wide. "I think that sounds great, Bells." He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. "Love you," he breathed.

"I love you, too, Dad. And thank you…for everything." I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him into a tight embrace. It was a little more difficult, with my restrictions and all, but I loved feeling his warmth around me. I inhaled, breathing in the familiar scent of my father.

Too soon, he let me go. It was amazing to me how attached I had grown to Charlie, especially after such a short time. There had always been awkwardness before—and to some extent there still was. It was different though; before, we were awkward because we didn't really know each other. Now, we were awkward around each other, because on some level we both knew we were saying a long goodbye that we never wanted to actually say.

He said quick goodbyes to the rest of the family, and soon disappeared off to the cruiser. After I could hear the car fade off into the distance, I let out a long breath.

"Let's get you to bed," Edward said behind me. I turned and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me.

"Sounds good to me," I mumbled as he kissed me.

"Well," Alice came bouncing up, interrupting us. I gave her a side-glance. "That was some party, huh?"

I cleared my throat before beginning. "Yeah, Alice," I facetiously commented, "it would have been great to get an invite _before_ hand though."

She only continued to grin. "Well, then it wouldn't have been a _surprise_ baby shower, now would it?"

"I must admit, Alice," Edward cut in, "you did a great job at hiding everything. I was just as confused as Bella."

"Yeah, it was definitely a surprise, that's for sure," I grumbled.

"What can I say, I'm practically pro!" With that, she bounded off in another direction. I turned my focus towards Edward as a yawn escaped my mouth.

"Okay, that's my cue," he mumbled. He fluidly picked me up in his arms and carried me inside the house and up to our bedroom.

As I was lying in bed, dozing off, I was pleasantly surprised with the evening. I had worried about a baby shower, especially since everything was so unexpected and we were so young. Apparently, however, people seemed…supportive. It was a comforting thought to find love and encouragement outside of the immediate family, and it was even more amazing to see how excited people genuinely were. It made me feel happy to know that Liz was eagerly anticipated and welcomed into the world by a loving and caring group of people.


	23. Author's Note

Hey guys, sorry about the Author's Note. Normally, I get annoyed by these, but I needed to update everyone on what's going on.

So, obviously I haven't updated in awhile. Believe me, it's been killing me that I haven't been able to update and work on the story. I'm sure none of you care about my sob stories, but I'll tell them to you anyways.

I've been really stressing out about college and I have to transfer to a new college and the whole filling out applications, etc. is just nerve-wrecking. Also, there was a death in the family which has been really hard on me and right now I'm just trying to take it one day at a time. I'm having issues with my friends, struggling with classes, and did I mention I'm far away from all my family? Yeah, so a LOT has been going on. Normally, writing helps me get through all of this, and I've been wanting nothing more than to just sit down all day and write and write, but I can't. I haven't been able to do that, which means I really haven't had a chance to take some time for _me_.

But there's good news! Hopefully (with fingers crossed) this Sunday I will _FINALLY_ have some "me time" and I will be able to work on the story. I've had ideas running through my head like crazy and I'm so anxious to get them all down.

Thank you so much to all of you wonderful readers that have continued reading and reviewing for this story. It honestly means the world to me, and I seriously light up whenever I see that I've gotten a review. I _SWEAR_ I will get an update out for this story by the end of this weekend! So, please (for the love of Edward, PLEASE) be patient with me, and it'll come.

Thanks again for everything and I'm sorry about the author's note...won't happen again I swear!

Peace, Love and Edward!


	24. A Change Is Gonna Come

_AN: Thank you, merci, gracias, dank u, danke, grazie, obrigado and thank you in any other language you can possibly think of. Thank you so much for the support and the well-wishes, and I'm so SO sorry about taking forever and a day to update this story. I've already explained why, so I won't say anything further on the matter, except THANK YOU (did I mention, thank you?)._

_I'm letting you know that my mood changed during the writing of this chapter. I started out writing it in a pretty light mood, but things changed, so the chapter took a different turn that was a little unexpected. It's still staying along the lines I had already planned for the story, but...well, basically, don't expect any fluff in this chapter._

_Anywho, enjoy! I'm pretty sure this is the longest chapter I've written, so hopefully that makes up (a little) for the lack in updates. I'll be updating again hopefully soon. Read, review, and enjoy of course!_

**Disclaimer: I'm not Stephenie Meyer. I am, however, unbelievably excited for the movie to come out. Just thought I'd throw that out there.**

--

**Chapter Twenty-Three: A Change Is Gonna Come**

"Bella. Bella? Bella!"

"Edward, stop! I'm right here!"

"I can't see you!"

I narrowed my eyes in confusion, but then it hit me. As I let out a breath, I patted my belly. "Elizabeth." I tried using as stern of a voice as I possibly could. All morning she had been kicking like crazy, and I knew that to usually be a sign of her using her gift. I paused, waiting for something to show me that Edward could see me.

After a few brief moments, Edward exhaled and quickly wrapped his arms around me. "God, Bella…I couldn't _see_ you."

"I guess she's developing new senses," I said monotonously. I just wished she could develop a better sense of control…

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get upset like that," Edward explained as he let me go. We were standing in the living room, where we had spent a good portion of our morning.

"No, I understand. I'd freak, too, if you just suddenly vanished."

Today had been a relatively quiet day for us. The farther along I was with Liz, the less I wanted to do. We had spent the majority of the morning reading books, while the rest of the family went out and did whatever they needed to do. Currently, only Carlisle and Rosalie were home.

"Is everything alright?" As if on cue from my thoughts, Carlisle glided down the stairs, concern on his face.

"Yes, Carlisle, thank you. Liz apparently can see now…which means _I_ can't," Edward said, rather curtly.

Carlisle only chuckled and shook his head, returning back to his study. I eased myself back down onto the couch, eager to relieve the pressure from my feet. Edward promptly sat back down next to me, kissing me on the forehead while picking the novel he had been reading back up again.

We sat in silence for a while, but the buzzing noise of Edward's cell phone interrupted the quiet. In a flash, Edward had the phone up to his ear. "Alice?" he asked into the phone.

He paused for a few moments, an expression of shock flickered across his face. He still didn't say anything, but only continued to listen to the other end. "Okay," he finally responded, then hastily snapped the phone shut.

Edward looked down at me, and I could tell he was trying to hide something. His face was blank, cold almost.

I sighed. "That's never good…what is it this time?"

He shook his head, but his eyes left mine and stared straight ahead. "Nothing to worry about," he mumbled, unconvincingly.

I sat up straight and glared at Edward. "Don't do that, Edward. I know you're hiding something, and I'm going to find out eventually, so you better just tell me now."

"It's nothing." His eyes flared with something I rarely saw from him. He was…angry. With me, with whatever Alice said, I didn't know, but I didn't like to see him angry. He stared at me for a few moments, and then stood up from the couch. "I'm going to go outside and wait."

"Wait for what?"

"They're coming back home," he mumbled over his shoulder as he swiftly walked outside of the house, leaving me in my confusion. The sudden shift in his mood worried me. When Edward was like this, something horrible usually followed.

**EPOV**

_Damn it. Damn it, damn it._ I shoved my fingers through my hair as I paced. I ran to the end of the drive up to the house, waiting anxiously for my family's return. I paused when I heard a noise off in the distance, but I could tell it was different car by the sound of the engine. I exhaled and looked down at the ground—a small pathway had been worn into the ground where I had been pacing back and forth.

_Get a hold of yourself_, I mentally lectured myself. Visions changed all the time, and I knew that. I knew I shouldn't worry—we had changed the future to avoid things we didn't want to happen before. We could do it again…but there was so little time.

I ran the phone conversation over again in my head. Even though my caller ID had told me it was Alice calling, it was in fact Jasper. He sounded worried, which was rather unusual for him. I could normally count on him being the calm one, and the change in behavior worried me even more. He told me Alice was having rapid visions, and apparently they were all bad. He didn't like the emotions that were coming from Alice during her visions, which is what prompted him to call me. This _really_ wasn't good.

I heard the smooth purring of a Porsche off in the distance, and I calmed slightly. I could tell the vehicle was approaching rapidly and soon they were in range enough to where I could hear the thoughts—then I saw it.

"NO!" I roared, unable to contain my grief. I ran off towards the car, too upset to wait any longer. The small, yellow vehicle soon sped into my sight but immediately came to halt in the middle of the road. Alice blurred out of the vehicle and was standing in front of me, panic in her eyes.

"Edward. Edward!" Alice shouted, gripping my shoulders tightly. I wasn't focused on her spoken words, however, but on her mental ones.

_I didn't want you to see…you were supposed to be inside_, Alice pleaded silently. But I _did_ see. That didn't mean I didn't _want _to see…God knows, I did _not_ want to see her vision.

Another wave of visions came to Alice, but they were the same ones I had already gotten glimpses of. Bella's old bedroom; Bella backed up against the wall; Caius's pale, disgusting hand wrapped around her throat; Aro studying Bella's pregnant frame. This time the visions were even clearer, which only meant that this path was becoming more permanent.

The vision ended and Alice shook her head, still gripping my shoulders. She raised her eyes up to look up at me as my anger grew. "Edward I'm sorry," she whispered.

"NO!" I shouted again, as the birds in the surrounding trees stirred from the loud boom of my voice.

Slowly, I felt the creeping feeling of calmness come into me. My breathing started to slow, but then I saw Jasper standing behind Alice, staring at me intently. I let out a growl and dodged Alice, tackling Jasper to the ground.

"Stop it!" I yelled into Jasper's face. He didn't fight back, but I could feel Alice's hands on my back, trying to restrain me.

"Edward, leave him alone. Get off!"

"Edward, you just need to calm down—" Jasper begun while the calming mood enhanced, but I cut him off as I wrapped my hands around the collars of his jacket and slammed him against the road, the ground cracking beneath the pressure.

"DON'T tell me what I need!"

Alice's slim hands slid under my arms and yanked me back off of Jasper. "Edward Anthony, stop it! This won't solve anything." I stumbled backwards, taken by surprise.

My eyes flickered between Alice and Jasper, who was already standing up and adjusting his jacket. My breath was erratic and my fists clenched tight, but I knew all my emotions were _mine_—Jasper just let me feel what I was feeling.

I started pacing again, trying to clear my head. Being close enough now to see Alice's visions did not help as I thought it might have. I had told myself that once I saw what she saw, I would know that it wasn't near as bad as I was imagining it to be. But I was wrong. It was worse—worse than anything in this entire world.

It was a vision of me breaking a promise to Bella. I swore to her I would protect her and Elizabeth no matter what came, and the vision proved otherwise. Somehow, some way, the Volturi got a hold of her, which meant I wasn't protecting her like I should have been.

"Okay," I said, stopping mid-pace. I turned to face Alice and Jasper. I looked firmly at Jasper before speaking. "I'm sorry, Jasper. I should not have taken my frustration physically out on you. Please, forgive me."

He nodded. _I know how you're feeling. I understand_.

I nodded in reply, but then turned my focus back onto the vision. I knew Alice had seen the Volturi earlier, but it was nothing solid. For all we knew it could have been simply the Volturi coming to America, but now…now we knew _exactly_ what they were doing here. A thought dawned on me.

"Wait. Alice when you had the vision earlier this year about the Volturi, they were jumbled and incoherent, correct?"

"Yes, but—"

"Then why the sudden change?" I asked, interrupting her response. "They know how your gift works and they obviously know how to get around it…why are we seeing everything now?"

"Well, I thought I'd start looking at the futures of the lesser people of the Volturi—you know, guards and things like that. That's when I saw…" but she didn't finish her sentence. She didn't need to, because we both knew what she saw.

My jaw tightened but I tried to keep my voice level. "When?"

"Soon. _Very_ soon."

I exhaled and began to pace again. This was not what I wanted to hear. I wanted to hear that it was the far off future and we had time to prepare; that I had time to save Bella. But those were only my heart's wishes, and a dead heart's wishes are never granted.

"This won't happen. We'll save her," I said firmly. There was no doubt in my mind this was what was going to happen—it was what _needed_ to happen.

"Edward," Alice whispered. _I want to believe that, too_.

Why was she thinking that? She "wanted" to believe that? If she wanted to believe it, then why didn't she? Why was she already…resigned?

"Alice. We. Will. Save. Her." I couldn't force the point anymore than I already was.

_I can feel it, Edward. I feel like…I've already lost her. I feel like I've lost my sister, Edward. Oh God, and Elizabeth._

"STOP IT!" I couldn't hear any more of this. Alice was my support, my cheerleader. _I_ was the one who was supposed to be negative…she was supposed to tell me it would be okay. She couldn't do this, not now.

I turned and ran back to the house, flew inside and headed directly up to the bedroom. I could hear Bella's heartbeat pick up its pace from nervousness, but I didn't stop what I was doing. I ran to the closet and pulled out a suitcase and began throwing in all of Bella's clothes.

I paused. _Maybe I shouldn't worry about clothes…we could buy some wherever we go…_ but I decided to keep packing instead. I ran out to the bedroom, and began gathering items that I knew Bella would want with her, and soon I had our suitcase packed with most of her belongings. I didn't bother packing anything for me, because I wouldn't need anything as long as Bella and Elizabeth were far, _far_ away from here…and safe.

"What's going on? I heard shouting." Rosalie hovered around the door to the bedroom as I surveyed around me to see if I was missing anything.

"Bella and I are leaving," was all I said. I didn't want to explain. I _couldn't_ explain.

_But…why? _Rosalie's tone of thought made me turn my focus to my sister. She looked around nervously, and almost…embarrassed?

"I thought you'd be happy," I said sharply as I moved to get Bella's heavy down jacket.

_Well I am,_ she thought sarcastically,_ but…it has to be bad, right? If you're leaving now, something's wrong._

I exhaled for the first time since I had reentered the house and threw down Bella's jacket on the bed. I stared down at the gold comforter, as I dug my fists into the bed and soon it started to buckle under the pressure.

_That bad, huh?_

"Yes," I whispered, "that bad." I looked away from the bed up to Rosalie. My eyes were drawn together as if I were in pain…because I _was_ in pain. She jutted her chin out and narrowed her eyes.

_Hold on, I'll be right back._ Before I could respond, she was gone. I stood there, confused and unmoving, but soon Rosalie returned. Only now, she had a black duffle bag in her hand.

_Emmett and I are coming, too_. I quickly straightened up as I raised my eyebrows, absolutely shocked by what Rosalie was proposing.

"Rose, I don't…understand," I mumbled as I shook my head.

She sighed before she explained. _Let's face it: Bella is pretty much incapable of taking care of herself. That's your job—you take care of Bella. You need someone to take care of _you_, Edward, and that's what Emmett and I will do._

I was speechless; utterly and completely speechless.

Rose rolled her eyes at me as she shifted her weight from one leg to another. _Listen, I might be a bitch but I do care about you. You care about Bella, so I guess—in theory—I care about her, too. So instead of just standing there like a moron with your mouth open, hurry up and put her crap in the car. I'll get Emmett._

"Wait!" Rosalie had already turned to do as she had said, but she stopped before she reached the stairs.

"What?" she asked, annoyed.

"Rose…" I moved towards her as we stood under the doorframe to my bedroom. "Rose, believe me, this means so much to me, but…I can't. I can't have you go with us."

_And why the hell not?_

I smiled, but it did not reach my eyes. "Because you need to stay here, with the rest of the family. I won't be responsible for hurting and breaking this family apart even more than I already have."

_Oh, bull, Edward. You know for a fact you haven't done that, so quit throwing yourself a pity party and get over yourself. We're coming, and don't tell me what to do._

"Rose!" I yelled after her, but she was already gone downstairs and into the garage. I went downstairs as well, and saw Bella standing in the living room with confusion and worry on her face.

"What's going on? Why does Rosalie have a bag?" Her voice was an octave higher than usual and I hated seeing her panic like this.

"Bella." I paused and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself before explaining. "Bella, we are going to leave, okay. Just you and me…we'll go wherever you want, but don't decide on anything until we're out of Washington."

Her heart picked up double time. "Edward, what is going on?" she asked again, only this time more forcefully.

"Bella, I don't want to explain right now, but—"

"Edward Cullen, what do you think you're doing?" Alice appeared in the living room, obviously already seeing what I had planned. _Don't you dare leave,_ she shouted in her mind.

"Alice, not now," I brushed her off, trying to keep my focus on Bella. I was hurt by Alice's reaction to her vision—there was no hope in Alice…only fear.

"No, we're doing this here and now," she said forcefully, placing herself squarely between Bella and me.

"Edward, Alice, what—" Carlisle came down the stairs then, obviously noticing something was happening.

Rosalie came back inside from the garage and Emmett was already with her. He had been out hunting but he must not have been far away. "Let's go," Rosalie announced, obliviously to the intense crowd that was gathering in the living room.

I stepped to the side of Alice so I could speak to Bella. "Love, I already packed for you but your things are upstairs. If you go with Rose and Emmett to the car, I'll be down soon."

Bella stepped forward, wrapping her hands around my arms. "Edward, I'm scared…what's happening?"

"I'll explain, later, I promise. Please, Bella…trust me and just do this, okay?"

"No, Bella don't do this." Alice pulled Bella's hands off of me and spun her away, facing only Alice. "Listen, it's okay…we can figure something out here, okay. You don't have to leave."

"Alice," I raised my voice, adding a slight growl to my tone. "Stay out of this."

"No, Edward!" Alice faced me, raised on her tiptoes. "Don't act like you're the only one who can lose someone. We _all_ can."

"You have no idea what you're talking about, Alice! Don't pretend like we'd all suffer the same, because we wouldn't. I promised to protect Bella, and this is what I need to do to fulfill that promise, so _stay out_."

"Edward, Alice…calm down. Let's discuss this rationally," Carlisle spoke with an even voice, and not a hint of worry. He rested one hand on my shoulder and his other on Alice's.

"We'll figure something out," Jasper commented from behind Alice.

"We already have a plan, Jasper. That's why we're leaving," Rosalie shot back. Jasper turned and narrowed his eyes at her.

"And how are _you_ involved? Why do you suddenly care?"

Rosalie took a step forward towards him, but Emmett wrapped his arm around her waist, keeping her back. "Why does everyone think I don't care? And _I_ wasn't the one who tried to kill her already…"

"Real mature, Rosalie, bring that up again!" Jasper raised his voice moving closer to Rosalie. I could feel the tension rise between the two of them, but I didn't want to hear them argue. I already heard their thoughts…I didn't want to hear more.

"I'm just saying—"

"No, what you're doing is being a—"

"Hey don't talk to Rose like that," Emmett shouted, cutting off Jasper.

"He didn't say anything, Emmett, lay off." Alice was now involved in the fight, as always so eager to defend her husband.

"Don't tell him what to do, Alice," Rosalie spat.

"Don't tell _me_ what to do!"

"STOP!" The shouting halted as every set of eyes in the room moved to look at Bella. Her eyes were closed as she pressed two fingers against her temples, massaging in small circles. She let out a breath and dropped her hands to her belly, but kept her eyes closed. "The yelling…it's upsetting Elizabeth."

I ran my hand down the side of her stomach, as her eyes slowly lifted open. "Are you okay?" I questioned softly.

She looked up at me with a glint of rebellion in her eyes. "No. No, Edward I'm not okay." She took a step back and glared at all of us. "Do you want to know why I'm not okay? I'll tell you why…because my family is arguing. Because something is going on, and—as usual—I'm the last one to know what that _something_ is."

"Actually…I have no idea either," Carlisle added quietly. She looked over at him and half-smiled.

"Alright, I'm sorry…I'm _one_ of the last ones to know. Regardless, whatever is going on, it obviously concerns me because…well, I'm just usually the one who brings on the trouble, so I just assumed."

"You're not a trouble-maker, Bella," I interrupted, uneasy at the fact that she _still_ thought that way.

She raised a finger, silencing me. "Let me finish, Edward. Whether I'm a troublemaker or not is not the point…what _is_ the point is that we're arguing. I _hate_ fighting. We all love each other and we're all concerned for each other's wellbeing, so we shouldn't be fighting. Whatever is happening…we can figure something out. But before we can come to a _logical_ plan, _everyone_ has to be in on it. So, please for the love of God, tell me…and Carlisle…what's going on."

There was a brief pause of silence as everyone thought over her words. I couldn't help but smile to myself—I guess I wasn't the only one Bella made speechless.

"I'll call Esme and we'll have a family meeting," Carlisle offered as everyone was still sulking from the fight.

"Thank you Carlisle. We'll wait until she gets home," Bella replied. She turned back to my siblings. "No fighting, understood? The more you fight, the more Liz kicks, and the more Liz kicks the more I have to pee, so could we just…not?"

Alice giggled as Emmett scrunched his face. "No fighting," Jasper finally conceded. We all echoed Jasper's words, agreeing to wait until Esme got home for the family meeting.

--

**BPOV**

"All right. Before we start, we obviously need to lay out some ground rules." Carlisle was standing at his usual spot at the head of the table, while the whole family sat around in our usual spots as well. "We talk one at a time. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, so let everyone express it without judgments or interruptions." Carlisle paused, waiting for any objections. There were none.

Carlisle nodded to Esme as she spoke up. "Alice, dear. Please tell us what you saw."

Alice sat up in her seat a little straighter as her eyes glazed over. She blinked after a few moments, as she finished recalling her vision. "I saw the Volturi, here in Forks…more specifically Bella's bedroom at Charlie's house. She was cornered, and Caius was…killing her." Her voice trailed off at the end, making the last two words barely audible. Edward squeezed my hand that he held under the table, but I only continued to listen to Alice. I guess I was used to hearing someone was trying to kill me.

"I think," Alice began again, "I _think_ he was trying to kill her. It just doesn't make sense why he'd do it that way…"

"How do you mean, Alice?" Carlisle asked.

"Well, Caius was choking her. We know that Aro is obviously interested in Bella as a vampire, so it wouldn't make sense for him to allow Bella to be killed and _not_ be turned."

"You are very right, Alice. That doesn't make sense…but we do know that the Volturi are suspicious of us. I would not be surprised that if they were to find that Bella is still alive, they would not be as generous as they were before."

"Generous? I'd hardly call it that," Edward jumped in.

"Edward," Carlisle warned.

Edward mumbled an apology, as Alice continued to explain. "The problem with my vision is it's so…_clear_."

"Isn't that a good thing, though?" Emmett asked.

Alice shook her head. "No. The clearer it is, the more the mind is made up. There's no changing their minds…it's done." I noticed that her voice cracked at the end, as she dropped her head into her hands. I had always depended on Alice to be the one to lighten the mood, or to see the positive in every situation. It was hard to accept that she was so convinced that this was my fate.

"Is that all you saw, Alice? Nothing else?" Esme asked.

"That's it."

"Okay, now that we know what happened…Edward, would you care to explain your plan and your reasoning for your plan? I hate to ask you to explain yourself, but we need to make sure we make the most informed decision." I was thankful for Carlisle's level-headedness. I had a feeling we'd all be losing it right now if it weren't for Carlisle.

"Bella and I will leave. If she's not here, then that vision can't come true. We'll go somewhere for awhile, let things die down, then we'll figure out something from there."

"And what do you plan on doing about Elizabeth?"

Edward paused, contemplating his response. "Well, we can always find a new doctor…we'll wait at least until she's born before we leave wherever we're hiding."

This idea made me a little uncomfortable—I liked my doctor here, and I knew that if I was still in Forks, Charlie could be involved with the birth…and Renée could fly out to help, too. If we were in hiding, I highly doubt Edward would allow anyone on the outside to know where we were. We had figured out in the past that my parents were a sure-fire way to get through to me, and I did _not_ want to put them in danger. But if I stayed…would that put them in danger, too? Alice did say I was in my old room. Oh God, what if they did something to Charlie?

"Bella?" Jasper's voice speaking my name forced me to snap out of my trance.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay? It feels like you're about to have a panic attack."

Edward squeezed my hand again as he leaned in closer to me. "I'm okay…just worried." A few moments passed and I began to feel an unusual sense of calm rush over me. I smiled over at Jasper, knowing he was responsible for that.

"Okay, let's get back to this," Carlisle said. "Edward, your plan is to leave for awhile and not come back at least until the baby is born. Now, I know the rest of you have other ideas…Bella, we'll move to you. Ideas?"

I paused and thought over the whole situation. If I stayed, I was only sealing my fate even more so. The fact that my death supposedly takes place in Charlie's house bothered me…and the fact that I was dying at all by the hands of the Volturi bothered me as well. But if I left, I would leave for an indefinite time. Maybe this would be "the leaving"—the time I'd leave, and not come back. Maybe now was the time where I left Forks behind me, and started heading towards my new life. I liked my doctor here, but I could always find a new one. I wanted Charlie and Renée to be there for the birth, but just because I didn't give birth in Forks didn't mean that they automatically couldn't be there. They could always fly or drive out, depending on where we decided to hide. But that idea bothered me—I didn't want to go into hiding. If we were leaving Forks, I wanted to leave on our terms. I wanted to leave after a proper goodbye, and if we left now I wouldn't get that opportunity. Plus, if the Volturi were to come to Forks and find I was not there, there was nothing stopping them from hurting my friends and family to find where I was.

Either way, I would put people I love into danger's path. But maybe…if we stayed, we could fight. We could prepare, especially now that we knew they were definitely coming. If we left, we'd always be leaving…we'd always be running, until we eventually would have to face them regardless.

"Sorry," I spoke after I realized I had been silent for awhile, "I was thinking about everything. I think…I think I want to stay."

"Bella, you're crazy. We can't do that!" Edward protested, as I knew he would.

"Edward, we agreed no judgments and no interruptions," Carlisle firmly reminded my husband.

He opened his mouth to argue, but then closed it, staring down at me all the while. He looked sad, almost, but he only leaned forward and kissed my forehead.

"Thank you Bella, for your opinion. Now…Rosalie? Would you please explain your plan?"

"Emmett and I leave with Edward and Bella," Rosalie said quickly. She said it with such a sense of security; I was envious of her tone. I wished I could have been so sure of my future.

"And why would you go with them? Do you have an idea of where you'd go or for how long?"

"Well…no, I haven't thought of that stuff, but we can't just let them go off by themselves with the Volturi running around. You know Edward would do anything to protect Bella and Liz, even if it's completely reckless and it could get him killed…someone else needs to be there to keep him in line. I want to go."

Carlisle studied Rosalie at her unusual decision. "Rosalie, I must be honest, I'm surprised at your choice."

"Why does everyone act like that?" she asked defensively as she looked each one of us in the eyes. I shrugged, not willing to verbalize what everyone else was thinking.

Apparently, Edward _was_ willing. "Well, Rose, it's not like you've exactly been our biggest supporter in the past…especially with Liz and all…"

Emmett let out a grunt and rolled his eyes. "Rose, just tell them."

"Tell them what?" I asked.

Rose hesitated as she glared at Emmett for exposing the fact that she had a secret. "It's nothing."

"Rose, tell them," Emmett encouraged. We all stared at her expectantly.

She let out a breath of air before explaining. "Well…I realized, I didn't behave—as well as I could have when I found out about Liz. I was just so…angry, you know?" She stared down at her clasped hands that rested on the table, twirling her thumbs. It dawned on me that this was probably the first time I had seen her look so…human.

"It took me awhile to get over it…and honestly, I'm not completely over it, but I knew I was taking this for granted. I saw this as just another reminder of everything I was missing, but in reality…it was kind of like a second chance."

I continued to look on as Rosalie took another breath. She looked up at me in the eyes, and there was a slight pained expression on her face. She looked…remorseful. "Bella, I want to go with you because I want to make up for acting the way I have. I know that, if you do leave, you'll be gone when you give birth. I also know that it's not easy during those first few months…especially, if you add on the fact that you'll become one of us. I thought that if I were there, I could somehow be some kind of help, I guess. You know, baby sit while you go kill something," she added with a shrug and a half smile.

I let out a laugh, when I pictured what Rosalie was suggesting—a crying, pooping, spitting up baby in Rosalie's cold arms while Edward and I ran around trying to kill Bambi. I couldn't help but laugh out loud again, while Rosalie chuckled.

"Okay, okay, maybe I wouldn't baby sit…but I could help in other ways," she offered.

"No, Rosalie, you could baby sit…it would just be interesting to see, that's all."

Rosalie smiled wider this time, lighting up her entire face. Well, there went looking like a human rather than a goddess.

Carlisle cleared his throat, bringing us on track once again. "Okay, Rosalie. You're offering to go with Edward and Bella to help with Elizabeth—"

"And protection," Rosalie added. "They could use all the help they can get."

"Right, and for protection. Emmett? Would you go with her?"

"Of course!" he said with a big, goofy grin as he slung his arm around Rosalie's shoulders. "I wouldn't miss Rose babysitting for anything!" We all chuckled, and I could feel the tension easing a bit. Emmett had a way of making things feel better…

"Right. Okay, Edward, Bella, Rose, and Emmett would all leave at least until Liz is born. Alice? What is your plan?"

"No one has to leave," Alice said firmly.

"Is this something you saw?"

"Well…no, but I just know it won't work. The Volturi aren't stupid…they'd chase us. I don't want to be on the run for forever."

Carlisle pondered her response, but her words hit home for me. Just as I had been starting to entertain the idea of leaving, my fears were now voiced. I didn't want to be on the run forever, either…especially with Liz.

"If we were to stay here, then Alice, what would you suggest as our plan of action?" Carlisle finally asked.

"Well, we obviously need to keep a very close eye on Bella. We only have about nine weeks until the baby is born, and after that Bella will be turned. We won't have anything to worry about once that happens, so if we can just hold on for nine more weeks…."

"So, you're suggesting we stay here in Forks, and just watch Bella very closely. Do you think we could make it until the baby is born before the Volturi get here? How soon do you see them coming?"

Alice hesitated before answering. "Soon," she uttered, unwillingly. "But we could keep her safe for nine weeks. We've managed to keep her alive for a few years now—"

"Absolutely not!" Edward jumped up from his seat that knocked over his chair. The crashing noise and the loud boom of his voice made me flinch. "I'm not just going to sit around and _wait_ for them to get here!"

"Edward, sit down," Esme commanded.

"No. I need to say this. Alice, that's ridiculous. I'm not going to let us just constantly be on the defensive. We need to _do_ something, instead of just watching Bella and hoping the Volturi doesn't come around."

"What do you think running away is, Edward? You're just as much on the defense if you run. You'll always be running, Edward!"

"We won't once Bella is turned. When she becomes one of us, we can stop running, because—as _you_ already said—we won't have anything to worry about after that."

"But you can't come back! We were going to have to leave Forks once Bella is turned anyways…what would be the point of leaving then coming back, when we only have to turn right around and leave again?"

"You're right…we'd have to leave, regardless. Why not put off the inevitable? Let's just do it now!" Rosalie interjected.

I stopped listening to the yelling that was going on among my family, yet again for the second time today. Rosalie was right—why should we put it off? Saying goodbye would be just as hard now as it would be in a few months…but I didn't want to say goodbye. I wasn't ready for that now, because I still had some time. Once I said goodbye to family and friends here in Forks, I would be saying goodbye to my human life for forever. I was ready for Edward and I was ready for an eternity with him, and I _was_ ready to say goodbye…just not right now. I couldn't leave—something was telling me I _had_ to stay.

"Listen to yourself! You're sounding ridiculous!" I heard someone shout, as my focus returned back to the argument before me.

I stood up, cleared my throat and tried to summon as much authority as I could manage. "Stop. Fighting."

The voices slowly died down, but the angry looks remained. I hated seeing my family like this—we were above this.

I turned to focus my attention on Carlisle. "Carlisle, with all do respect, I appreciate your desire for everyone to have their opinions counted, but quite honestly the only opinions that should matter at this point are mine and Edward's. We're all adults here, except for one—Elizabeth. It's mine and Edward's responsibility to protect her and make sure she's safe, and so I think we should do what _we_ think is right." I knew this sounded selfish and I knew that the family had only our best interests in mind, but there were too many different opinions. I didn't care where I went, and I didn't care when, anymore. All I cared about was the safety of Liz.

"Alright," Carlisle conceded, "and what do you think that is?"

I looked over at Edward, and I could see some glimmer of triumph. That was premature, however. "I think we need to discuss it—_privately_—then we'll make a decision," I finally responded.

"Very well. However, we need your decision rather quickly…."

"I know. We'll decide something tonight. We just need to talk first."

Carlisle's eyes skimmed the group of us before he started heading out of the room. "Everyone, why don't we give them some time alone to talk this over?"

Reluctantly but eventually, the last person left the house. Edward and I were still standing by the dining room table, processing everything.

"Can we just…talk?" I finally asked, looking over at him.

"Sure. You want to go upstairs?"

"Yeah, my feet are killing me." He swiftly picked me up and carried me to our room, laying me down on the bed as he curled up next to me.

He let his fingers comb through my hair as I rested my cheek against his chest. "So…are we going to leave?" Edward broke the silence, with a small hinting in his voice. I knew he was thinking he had won out on this, but I wasn't sold on the idea quite yet.

"I don't know, Edward. We really need to talk about this…and we need to consider _everything_."

I let my words hang in the air while Edward continued to run his fingers through my hair. "What are you thinking?" he asked, just like he so often did.

I sat up to look him directly in the face. "I'm thinking—whatever happens—things are going to be changing around here."

He half smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I think you're right."


	25. Let's Stay Together

_AN: Okay, so this chapter is shorter, but the next one and the ones following for the most part are going to basically be epic. Okay, maybe not epic but very VERY important. I know it's taken me way too long to update, but you remember how stuff was not going so well with me before? Yeah...it basically just keeps getting worse. I don't want to go into detail because I don't want to throw myself a pity party, but let's just say things have been pretty rough for me lately. I truly feel aweful that I haven't been updating this story, but Christmas vacation is coming up soon, so I'll definitely have more time. I might even have this story finished before the year is over with. So here you go, and I might have another chapter up by the end of this weekend. Hope everyone is doing well, and thank you so much for being amazing readers and sticking it through with me! I love you all so much, really!_

**Disclaimer: Don't own. Sad face, 'cause I wish I did.**

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**Chapter Twenty-Four: Let's Stay Together**

I sat on our bed, my back against the headboard. I traced circles along my belly, while Elizabeth had become quiet inside. Edward sat in front of me, his legs crossed under him.

"Edward. You're angry," I pointed out. His eyebrows were drawn together over the bridge of his nose and he had a look of deep concentration. His lips turned down slightly in the corners, while his fingers drummed against his knee.

"I'm not angry, Bella. I told you I wanted to hear your honest opinion."

"But you're wishing you hadn't said that." We had sat here for nearly a half hour now, me telling him all of my fears over the situation. Something was telling me to lean more towards just staying and fighting, but I could tell Edward didn't like that option. He had made that obvious with the family, but I had a feeling he was struggling between just giving me what I wanted and doing what he thought was right.

"No, Bella. I always want to know what you're thinking…I'm just worried."

"Then talk to me, Edward. I've been doing all the talking. Tell me what _you_ want to do."

He looked up from his lap, his eyes a surprisingly dull amber. He really did look torn. "I don't know what I want to do."

I leaned forward and rested my hand over his hand, making his fingers come to a rest. "Just tell me what you're thinking. I know you want to leave…tell me why. Tell me what you want to do when we leave."

Edward took a deep breath before beginning. "Well, I want to leave because…I can't just sit here, exposing you to danger, _knowing_ that they'll come looking for you. I feel like if I just don't do anything, I'm setting us up for failure. I'd rather act now and _do_ something." He studied me, trying to gauge my response. I wanted to hear everything he had to say before we discussed it, because I wanted to get his own, genuine plan. I knew he would say whatever he thought I wanted to hear, and not what he was really feeling.

"If we left, we'd go somewhere, probably back east. Maybe Chicago…I could show you where I grew up." His face lightened up a bit at this thought, as did mine. As much as I wanted to stay, I did want to see places of Edward's past. Still, I told myself to not say anything. "I don't know, just somewhere where we could go outside…if I was restricted to indoors, I don't think I'd be able to protect you much that way either." I could tell his mind was wandering slightly off of the subject, so I tried to focus him.

"And what would we do? About the birth, my changing…?"

His eyes snapped back up to me, regaining focus. "Well, we can find a doctor anywhere. We'll get you in right away, and we'll deliver the baby wherever we're living at that point. Then, when you feel ready for it…I'll change you." His voice faltered over the last three words, still obviously opposed to this part of my future.

"What about the rest of the family?"

"They can move with us if they'd like, but we don't need them to. I can take care of you, Bella."

"I know you can take care of me, Edward…but, I don't know—I'd just like to have family with us. You know, for the baby and everything. Who would watch Elizabeth while you're turning me and helping me through that?"

His face was drawn together as he weighed his options. "I'm not sure. But remember, Elizabeth could just block her scent, so you wouldn't want to attack her."

I pulled away from Edward, suddenly hurt by this suggestion. "Edward! I couldn't ask a _newborn_ _baby_ to use her gift so her own mother could avoid _killing_ her. That sounds ridiculous!"

Edward quickly went into apology-mode. "No, love, that's not…damn, that's not what I meant. I'm sorry if I offended you. Please…" he leaned forward and stroked his hand down my hair, his grief apparent in his eyes.

I reached up and wrapped my hand around his on my hair. "Forget it, it's okay." I let out a big sigh, Edward not convinced at all. "Listen, I just want to have family with us while we're going through all of this."

"Then we'll ask them to come. We can't force them, obviously, but we can ask if that's what you want."

Damn…I had interfered too much. He was too concerned with giving me what I wanted now, rather than just telling me what _he_ wanted. I had to pull back from Edward. "Just tell me what you want, Edward. We're not deciding on anything until we both discuss what we want."

His eyes studied me, hesitation was apparent. "Alright. I want us to move away from Forks and start our lives somewhere else. If you're not here, then Alice's vision can't come true. We have to move eventually anyways, so I see now as a perfect opportunity to do so."

"Okay…that's what you want."

"Yes."

"Well, we're obviously not agreeing, so we need to compromise." It seemed as if our entire lives were built on compromises. I guess if we could agree to some, there _had_ to be a compromise we could agree on now.

"Wait. You told me why you want to stay, but you haven't told me why you _don't_ want to leave."

My heart started picking up its pace—I had chosen my words carefully, trying to avoid this train of thought. I didn't want to tell him the reason why I didn't want to leave, because I knew it was something that would only encourage Edward to not change me. He had always been reminding me of everything I would be giving up, and I had been so eager to convince him of otherwise…but, on some level, he was right all along.

"Well," I slowly began, trying to chose my wording correctly, "I think…I think it's too soon."

"How do you mean?"

"Edward, don't get me wrong—I'm ready for all of this. I want to be a mother, and I want to be your wife…for _forever_. I want to be one of you, but there's a lot of…oh, how do I say this—'mental preparation' that goes into the change. Does that make sense?"

"Sort of," he said as his eyes narrowed while he studied me intently.

"There's a big difference between having three months and, say, three days to prepare myself for all of this. Once we move, Edward, that's it for good. We won't be coming back to Forks for a very long time, which means I have to say my final goodbyes to everyone here. I'm willing to say my goodbyes to everyone when it means, in return, I'll be gaining an eternity with you. But what I have trouble with is saying my goodbyes and then…well, then just going into hiding. I don't want to go into hiding, fearing that at any moment the Volturi could find us. If they did find us, that'd mean we would have to move again and again…all we'd ever be doing is running away from them. It's a lot easier to run away if it's just us, but it's not. We have Elizabeth, and I just—I just can't do that to her. We need something stable, especially in the beginning while so many other things will be changing."

"But Bella, waiting here for them to come for us is not stable."

"Then we'll face them when they do get here. They need to be put in their place, anyways," I said with a shrug.

"Bella." Edward's face was suddenly darker, his expression pained. "You don't know what you're asking. We're not capable of going against them, and I can't risk losing anyone."

I put my hand under his chin, pulling his face up to look at me. "Maybe you're underestimating your family."

He pulled himself away, out of my grip. My hand remained suspended in the air, but it quickly dropped in the space between us. "No. I can't…I _won't_ ask that of them."

"What if they're willing? What if that's what they want, too?"

Edward considered this option for a silent moment. "I thought this was our decision, and not the whole family's."

I shrugged my shoulders. "It _is_ our decision, but our consequences will have an affect on our loved ones. I'm just trying to find some middle ground."

Edward looked down at his hands in his lap. "Bella, I just don't see it. We leave or we don't—either way, one of us isn't getting our way. But," his voice had a slight shift in tenor, "if it comes to that, I'd rather you have your way. I've tried protecting you _my_ way in the past, and it hasn't exactly worked out the best. So…we'll do it your way."

I shook my head. "No, Edward that's not what I want. Don't stay here in Forks just because you're giving me my way…I want you to be happy."

"Will you be in Forks, too?" His eyes lifted up straight towards mine.

I found the question odd, especially since _I _was the one who wanted to stay. "Of course."

A crooked smile spread on his lips and crinkled his eyes. "Then I'll be happy." He reached forward and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. "You have a point, Bella…I guess there's nothing saying that us moving will keep the Volturi from us for forever. If anything, it'll just slow them down, but definitely not stop them." He paused as his eyes roamed over my face. "But I won't ask my family to fight if they don't want to. That will have to be their decision."

"Then we'll let them decide that. But as for us…"

"As for us—we'll stay. But when it comes time for you to change, you know we'll have to move."

"I know," I said with an eye roll. "But at least then, I'll have time to say proper goodbyes."

There was a moment's pause between us, as we thought about what this meant for us. We would stay in Forks, and wait for the Volturi to come. We would fight—I didn't know who and how many people we'd have on our side, but we _would_ fight. I could have Charlie in my life just for a few more months, and when it came time to it, I would say goodbye for forever. But not now…no, now I would have to prepare for something much more difficult than my change.

"How do we approach the family?" I asked meekly.

Edward brushed my hair back off of my shoulder, as he considered his words. "Well, we'll just tell them that we want to stay, but we know what kind of consequences that means for us. We'll just have to let them decide if they want to fight or not—if they don't, we can't stop them."

"And we won't. But who knows…maybe they'll want to fight. I know Emmett will." I smiled at the thought of my big brother, always willing and eager for any kind of fight.

Edward laughed at the same thought. "Yes, he most certainly will." Another pause resonated between us as Edward shifted his body to lie next to me. He extended one of his arms up and around my shoulder, pulling me close to his chest. I rested my head against him, closing my eyes. His fingers ran through my hair, and soon I felt myself drift asleep.


	26. The Guest

_AN: Just to let you guys know, the next couple of chapters are going to be short, but a lot is going to be happening. See, I'm getting to a section of the story that I've already written, so I have to bridge what I've already published with the section that I've already written and I want to do it in small sections, but I'm going to have changing POVs coming up soon. But yeah...and **a big thank you** to everyone for being patient with me and putting up with me. It means so much to me to see that you guys still care, and things will start turning around for me. I hope everyone is doing well and here's a little something that has helped me and it might help you: Just think of this--what would you do if you knew you **couldn't fail? **Just keep that in mind, and enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: Nope. Not Stephenie.**

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**Chapter Twenty-Five: The Guest**

We would fight. After Edward and I decided on our plan of action, we had approached the family, and let them decide what they wanted to do. To no one's surprise, Emmett was ready to fight, which meant Rosalie would stay as well. Although they were reluctant, Alice and Jasper finally agreed to fight along with us, but I knew it did not set well with either of them. Carlisle and Esme took the neutral stance—they weren't going to go look for a fight, but if it came down to protecting their family, they would.

A week had passed since Alice's visions, but the threat didn't fade. I had always seen Edward as protective—sometimes overly protective, to a fault—but I had never seen him quite like this. Every move, every action, every heartbeat was watched and guarded by Edward, all to protect me. I understood why he was like this, and I guess I hadn't expected anything less, but it still felt a little suffocating. I could tell I wasn't the only one struggling; everyday Edward's eyes grew a little darker, the bruises under his eyes became a little more pronounced. It was as if my newfound seclusion took a physical manifestation in Edward's eyes, and every time I looked at him I couldn't help but think of how much this took a toll on all of us.

"That's it! Edward. You need to hunt." Edward was being his usual self, watching my every move, and as I stared at his nearly black eyes, I couldn't take it anymore. I hated seeing him suffer because of me.

"I'm fine," he said monotonously as he darted his eyes elsewhere. I could tell he was trying to hide the pain he felt from not eating.

"No, you need to hunt. _Now_. You can't protect me much if I go from being your wife to your meal, now can you?"

I had meant my words to be teasing, but his grumpy mood took them completely the wrong way. "Isabella, don't you dare say something like that! I've been able to restrain myself quite a bit, and you know it."

"See, that's what happens when you don't eat—you get grumpy. I was just joking about the meal thing." I paused, but there was no change in his expression. I softened my voice as I rested my hand on top of his. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean it that way. But you _do_ need to hunt, and don't argue with me because you know it's true."

His expression slowly began to soften as he shifted his body towards mine. "I can't leave you," he half-heartedly argued.

At that moment, I had an idea. "Call Jacob…he'll watch me."

I saw an irritated look flicker across his face, but he quickly rearranged his expression back to a blank face. "I don't want to depend on other people to watch you, Bella."

"No, you like to keep all the babysitting duties for yourself," I shot back sarcastically. I rolled my eyes as I spoke. "I'll call Jacob…it'll be fine. I haven't seen him in awhile, and it'll be nice to catch up."

"I don't want you to go to the reservation. That's the one place I _know_ I can't protect you."

"Then I'll have him come here." He looked at me as if I had grown a second head. "Oh c'mon, it'll only be for a little while…although, judging by the mood you're in, it might take you a little longer. How long has it been since you've hunted, anyways?"

Edward narrowed his eyes, glaring at me. "Very funny." He sighed, relaxing his posture only of a fracture. "Fine, call Jacob. But I want to talk to him before I leave."

As I called Jacob, I found myself surprisingly anxious. I hadn't had any interaction with anyone other than my family here for a while, so I was looking forward to someone from the outside. He was eager to see me, as well, and it didn't take him as long as I had thought to reach the Cullen house.

I heard his car drive up, and walked outside to greet him. Edward, of course, was right at my side, protective as ever. I heard him let out a sigh when Jacob got out of the car, a big grin on his face. I could almost hear the eye roll in Edward's sigh.

"Bells! Long time no see," Jacob spoke as he bounded up the stairs to greet us. I smiled in return, happy to see my friend.

"I know, it's been awhile. Come in, it's freezing out here," I said as I turned around and walked into the house. Edward was directly behind me, Jacob hesitantly behind him.

"What's going on?" Jacob asked when we got inside.

"Here sit down," I ushered as I lowered myself down on the couch. "Edward needs to hunt, and I need to be babysat. You up for it?"

"No," Edward interjected sternly, "she needs to be _protected_, not 'babysat.'" Edward's body was tense, but I couldn't tell if it was because of Jacob's presence or the fact that he had to leave me.

"Whatever," I shook off his words with a sigh.

"Um, 'protected'?" Jacob's eyes settled on Edward. "Don't get me wrong, she's clumsy as hell, but does she need the 24 hour surveillance?"

Edward's face drew together in a scowl. "Yes, she does. She's in danger and I have to keep her from it."

"Alice had a vision," I explained, trying to lighten the subject a little. Both men focused their attention over to me. "She saw that the Volturi were going to come back, and…"

"And she needs to be protected. We can't give them an opportunity to harm her," Edward finished for me, as I was unsure of how to explain why I was in danger.

"Uh, right. Okay, so I'll stay with her until you come back then." I could tell Jacob was already over the situation, as he lounged back into the couch, staring at the plasma TV.

Edward grunted at Jacob's actions, but stood in front of me. "Bella," he began but I didn't need him to finish.

"I know what you're going to say: 'be safe, don't do anything stupid.' I got it."

He shook his head, his face still firm. "You forgot something."

I arched an eyebrow, defiant. "Oh yeah, what's that?"

Edward leaned forward, sliding one hand against the side of my face. "You forgot 'I love you.'"

I smiled shyly. "Oh, that…"

"Yeah, that." He bent even closer, his stone lips pressing against mine. I kissed him in return, always, always never wanting to break our kisses. I felt him laugh against my lips as he slowly pulled back away.

As our eyes locked, Edward spoke. "Jacob, thoughts…watch them," he said irritated.

I heard Jacob mutter an apology, as Edward stood back straight up. "Okay, we'll be leaving now. We shouldn't be going too far, but we all have our phones if you need us."

"Got it. Edward?" I grabbed the hem of his shirt, as he was getting ready to step away.

"Yes, love?"

I smiled. "I love you, too. Have fun." Edward snorted as he turned and walked out the house, the rest of the family already waiting outside for him.

The day began to pass slowly the longer Edward was gone. I was surprised by myself—although his constant shadowing was obnoxious at times, I found myself missing him incredibly so. It had been a few hours since Edward had left, and I was getting antsy.

"I'm going to go upstairs," I muttered as I started heading in that direction.

"What are you going to do?" Jacob called over his shoulder, still not taking his eyes away from the TV. His body was spread out over the couch, looking like a giant as always.

"I don't know…maybe reorganize the nursery. I think this is what the baby book called 'nesting,'" I responded as I heaved up the stairs.

When I walked opened the French doors into the nursery, I was taken away. Of course, Alice had completely outdone herself. The bottom half of the four walls had been wallpapered with an antique floral print. White crown molding separated the wallpaper and the upper half of the walls, and the top half of the walls were painted a beautiful cream color. The soft purple of wisterias, the faded Victorian rose, the muted green of the flowers' leaves, and the deep browns of worn leathers were the colors found in the room, all inspired by Edward. I had never really thought much about how I wanted the nursery decorated, but I wanted it to mean something. Alice had suggested decorating like the nurseries were decorated during Edward's time, and I knew that it would turn out beautiful. The room always smelled amazing, too—even though I still had some time before Elizabeth was coming, Alice kept fresh flowers in the room.

I walked over to the wicker crib—something Esme had found while antiquing—that held the bedding Alice had chosen. I ran my hands over the soft cotton, my fingers tracing the beautiful rose patterns. Esme had also found a matching wicker rocker, which now sat diagonal from the crib. The cushions on the rocker matched Elizabeth's bedding, thanks to a reupholster job by Esme. I looked up and through the window on the same wall as the crib; the clouds were moving so quickly, but it wasn't stormy outside. Sheer green and lilac curtains hung loosely around the wide window, puddled on the ground. I knew that Elizabeth probably didn't care what her room looked like, but I had a feeling that she would notice more than an average baby. I hoped she enjoyed her room as much as I did. Every time I was in her nursery, I felt like I could glimpse into Edward's past. I looked back down at the crib that would soon hold my child; it was odd to think something so relatively small could hold my whole world.

I realized there was something missing from the crib: my old quilt from when I was a baby. Charlie had kept it, and I had used it when I lived at his house, but I didn't bring it with me after I got married. I didn't have much to pass on, but it was something I knew I wanted Elizabeth to have. I suddenly found something to do, as I was eager to add the quilt to the nursery.

I hurried as quickly as I could, which wasn't very fast, to my cell phone in my bedroom. I dialed Charlie's number without thinking of the numbers, anxious to not only see him but to have my quilt—no, Elizabeth's quilt now.

The phone rang a few times, but no one answered. Charlie must be out, I thought. I impatiently snapped the phone shut, tapping my foot as I thought of what to do. I knew that I pretty much wasn't allowed out of the house, due to Edward's strict rules…but he wasn't here, now, was he? _Jacob could take me to Charlie's, and Edward wouldn't have to know_.

"Jacob!" I called as I hurried down the stairs.

"Yeah, Bells?" When I reached the first floor, I already had my coat and shoes on. He glanced over at me, but had to do a double-take when he saw I was dressed to leave. A thick eyebrow shot up with a question. "Uh, what are you doing?"

I tried to put on my most apologetic face. "Jake, please…would you do me a huge favor? I won't tell anyone if you don't."

He sat straight up, his eyes narrowing. "That's never a good thing to start with…."

"I need my quilt from Charlie's, and he's not home to bring it over here. Do you think you could drive me?"

"But I thought you were under house arrest," he said, semi-sarcastically.

I smiled wide, hoping to charm him enough to get my way. "When the cat's away…."

He shook his head, his glossy black hair reflecting the light from the house. He sighed but heaved himself up, already resigned. "Alright, but if vamp tries to kill me, my blood is on your hands."

I snorted. "I'll protect you, don't worry." I couldn't help but find the words ironic—my best friend, a giant man/wolf who needed protection by _me_.

We got in his car, driving silently to Charlie's house. I knew this was the last place Edward wanted me to go, especially since Alice's visions, but I knew Jacob was with me. If he had been with me, I didn't think Alice would have been able to see anything…so nothing could happen, right?

He pulled his car up to the curb, across from my house. I still had the extra key to Charlie's house, currently resting in the palm of my hand. "I'll be quick, I just need to run up and grab the quilt."

"Alright, I'll stay out here and keep the car warm."

"Sounds good," I said over my shoulder as I climbed out of the vehicle and shut the door behind me. I walked…more like waddled…across the street and unlocked the door to Charlie's house.

I walked in, and everything was still the same. For as much as the Cullens claimed to be creatures of habit, they had some competition with Charlie—it seemed like nothing ever changed in his life.

I didn't want to spend too much time in the house, so I headed straight up the stairs to my old bedroom. I suspected that the room was exactly the way I had left it as well; not much surprised me in this house.

I walked in and saw the old quilt still spread out over my bed. I went straight for it, folding it up into my arms. I drew it up to my nose, breathing in the smell. I missed the smell of Charlie's house…I missed Charlie. A few tears threatened my eyes as I thought of how long it truly had been since I had seen Charlie. Too long, I supposed…I sat down heavily on the corner of my bed, the springs squeaking against my weight. I hugged the quilt tighter to my body, breathing in all of my old memories. So many nights before, Edward would wrap me in the quilt to protect me from his cold body. We'd talk all night until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. He'd lightly drag his fingertips across my skin, giving my goose bumps as I faded off to sleep, and he'd hum my beautiful lullaby. A tear escaped, sliding down my face and landing on the quilt, the cotton soaking it up quickly.

I shook my head, trying to clear all the emotion. I was happy now, but I just didn't like being so restricted. Maybe when I got back I _could_ tell Edward about what happened, just to prove to him that he didn't have to keep such a tight watch on me. I could manage just a quick trip to Charlie's without any threats to my life….

Suddenly, my door slammed shut. My spine shot up straight, my eyes wide with surprise. I had been so wrapped up in my own thoughts I hadn't realized what was happening around me. A mere two feet away from stood the physical manifestation of all my worst fears: Aro.


	27. Easier To Lie

_AN: Here's a treat for those who've been amazing and have kept up with the story. Just thought I'd give you guys another chapter, especially since I've been a bad updater and the previous chapter was short...although this one is short, too. But remember, big gifts come in small packages! Man, I must be getting into the Christmas spirit...anywhos, enjoy lovies!_

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**Chapter Twenty-Six: Easier To Lie**

The blood drained from my face as my heart stuttered. I was wrong…I _couldn't_ manage a quick trip to Charlie's.

Aro's face was serene, but there was a trace of anger in his fragile features. His skin was translucent, almost like an onion. His slick black hair hung around off his shoulders, his appearance unchanging since the last time I saw him. I should have expected that, but it still took me back. Once Aro took a step forward, I slowly realized he wasn't the only one here. I heard a soft movement behind me, and as I jumped to turn around, I saw Demitri and Alec lurking in the shadowy corners of my room. Jane was there, too—she emerged behind Aro. Quickly, Caius and Marcus appeared to almost emerge from the walls themselves. How could my small room hold so many vampires?

I tried to speak, but a lump in my throat stopped the words. I swallowed hard, but to no avail. It didn't matter, anyways; Aro spoke first.

"You're still human," he said, barely audible. My encounter with him before had been odd—although he was my enemy, he had always been almost…_chipper_. Today, his voice was solemn, disappointed. It seemed as if he was sad that I was still human. I knew the rest of the Volturi had been looking for a fight—wouldn't it had pleased them if I were still human? Then that was grounds for a war….

I only nodded at his remark, still unable to form sentences. His eyes slid down to my belly, and instinctually my hands wrapped around my stomach in a shielding manner. His eyebrows rose, surprised. "You're with child?"

"Yes," I choked out, suddenly much less afraid for myself and more afraid for Elizabeth. Oh, God, how was I going to protect her from people I couldn't even protect myself from?

The atmosphere shifted noticeably within my small room—the Volturi were hardly ever taken by surprise…until now. "This is…much unexpected," Aro muttered. "I thought you were with the Cullen family, still."

"I am." I knew it was best to keep my words to a minimum; less words to incriminate myself with.

Now, Aro's expression looked truly intrigued. "After everything that Edward was willing to give up for you…you still were with another? I'm surprised…Marcus had shown me how strong the bond was between you two, but to be broken so easily…" he trailed off.

All I could think in my head was to lie. "Yes," I responded, hoping he would understand what I was trying to say.

"And you are still a member of the Cullen family…they are most forgiving."

My heart raced, because I knew what I needed to do now. I had to lie to save myself and to save Elizabeth, but I knew I was never one for lying. I would _have_ to be now. "They are. I'm only human, after all."

Aro chuckled as I saw Demitri and Alec move closer toward me out of the corner of my eye. My body stiffened even more, preparing to go into flight or fight mode. Aro's laughter died down with a sadness that was unusual. "Yes, and I'm afraid that's our problem. You're no longer supposed to be."

I didn't know how to respond or whether I even should, so I sat quietly, praying.

"I am very disappointed in all of you. I had faith in the Cullen family…I felt like I could trust anyone who followed in Carlisle's path. Apparently," he said grimly with a wave towards my belly, "I cannot. We had a deal, and they did not hold up their end."

"Which means you should be punished," Jane added, in her shrill little girl voice. A shudder ran through my body as she glared at me, an evil woman in a child's body.

"Brother, you know what needs to be done," Caius said, his voice holding as much venom as Jane's. He, too, glared at me, but it was apparent he held much more malice towards me.

"Yes, I do. Bella…we cannot just let this stand." His voice was reprimanding, as if a parent was explaining to a child why she was put into timeout. "Although, I am unsure of what to do about the bastard child."

"I can think of a few things," Jane snarled.

"Jane, please," Aro waved her off. He stepped forward, mere inches from me now. My heart sped up so quickly, I was afraid it was pop right out. I didn't know what to do; how could I possibly get myself out of this?

"How far along are you, dear?"

_Lie. Lie!_ "Seven months." Aro's eyes were trained on my stomach now, and I was afraid he would see through my lie—I was eight months, but I looked like I was ready to deliver at any moment. Could I possibly pass for seven months?

"You did not want to give up every human luxury apparently, did you? And Edward is still with you, despite it all?" He paused, but not long enough for me to answer. "He is too forgiving…I thought it was a big sacrifice for him simply being with you, but still accepting you after you've strayed. That is more discipline than I could ever acquire, even for as long as I have lived. He will help you raise the bastard child?"

My eyes narrowed at the words, hating to hear my child be referred to like that. "The child is just as much his as she is mine." At least that _was_ the truth.

Aro shook his head. "No, the child is not, because the child is human, dear. Edward is not. He will never be a father, despite what he fools himself into believing. If the child _were_ his…" he shook his head as his eyes widened. "I would want to be witness to the development of the baby, there is no doubt."

"What do you mean?"

His features softened slightly. "I would have the child brought to Italy, to be raised in Volterra…a vampire child would be too precious of a gift for me to let some _human_ raise it."

That was it. I finally found my reasoning for lying to Aro…I guess you could say it was maternal instinct. If he knew Elizabeth's true parentage, he would take her away from me, no doubt. I couldn't have that—I had to keep Elizabeth with me, because then I knew I could protect her.

Aro shook his head, however. "But that can never happen, and I have no need for a human child. Just for _you_." He inched closer towards me, extending his hand out, and I instinctually flinched back. He glanced up at me, his bright red irises shining. "May I?"

I didn't want him to, but I knew it wasn't really a question, but a demand. I only nodded, forcing my limbs to stay where they were. His icy hand rested against my belly, his eyes flickering closed.

I prayed he wouldn't see anything I didn't want him to see, but everything was out of my control at this point. Quickly, Aro's eyes shot open, concern on his face. "Maybe my gift does not work on those who have never had a previous thought…."

"You can't see anything?" I asked, genuinely confused. I thought for sure his gift would work…maybe he needed direct contact with the subject in question.

"No…perhaps it is a genetic trait," he thought out loud, glancing up at me with a faint smile. Another chill ran through my body.

"Aro," Caius warned, trying to bring him back to focus. Aro stood straight, hovering over me now. I could barely breathe as Aro deliberated.

"I have seen your future through Alice, and it is one I do not want to see wasted. However, it is obvious that I cannot trust the Cullen family now, as they have gone back on their word. I must do it myself, then."

"Do what?" I whispered as I tried to scoot back on the bed, putting some space between Aro and I.

"Change you, of course. But I want you with us…in Italy. You will come with us," he said, his words sounding final.

I shook my head fiercely, knowing what was about to happen. Aro turned and nodded towards Alec who stood behind me, and before I could comprehend what was occurring, I felt his stone cold hands wrap around my arms, lurching me up off the bed and onto my feet. I let out a yelp of pain as his fingers gripped too tight, almost cutting off my circulation.

I saw a losing battle, so I sucked in a deep breath and let out as loud a scream as I could possibly muster. I knew Jacob was bound to hear something…he could save me. A flicker of panic ran through Alec's face, as he stared at Aro, not knowing what to do.

"There's someone here!" Demitri shouted as I heard the door downstairs bust open. So many things happened and before I could tell what was going on, Alec roughly picked me up into his arms and flew out of my small bedroom window, the glass shattering around us.

The world spun around me dizzily, and we were off.


	28. Never Too Late

_AN: Wow, thank you guys so very much for all of your wonderful reviews! I've reached over 250 reviews...I'm still in disbelief. I never thought I would have gotten this far, and I honestly wouldn't have if it weren't for all of you wonderful readers. So, this chapter is kind of short, again, but there are two different POVs in it, so there's a little treat for you. Just to let you know, the next chapter will pick up where the one before this one (titled, "Easier To Lie") left off...just so no one is confused. Hopefully I can get the next chapter up soon because I have most of it written already. I just had to finish this one and then the beginning of the next one, and I'm good. Okay, that was more info than anyone needed to know...anywhos, hope everyone is doing well and I hope everyone has a Harry Christmahanakwanzika/HumanLight (yes I said Harry...I never know if I should say Happy or Merry, so I just combine them) and a Happy New Year! Stay safe!_

**Disclaimer: Twilight is pwnd by Steph. 'Tis true.**

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**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Never Too Late**

**Jacob Black**

I drummed my fingers against the steering wheel as I messed with the radio dial. Nothing was on; as usual…perhaps I should save up for a better stereo. The windows were rolled down and a wind blew through the car. I imagined it was probably chilly, but I could never feel the cold anymore…definitely something I didn't miss. A faint scent of vampire wafted through, burning in my nose. I knew Bella and the Cullens hadn't been around Charlie's in awhile, but I never realized the smell lingered for so long. I guess when something smells that bad, you just can't get rid of it—like cat pee.

I knew Bella was taking forever to do anything these days, but she seemed to be moving slow, even for her. I looked at the clock in the dashboard, but it had only been five minutes. I mindlessly whistled the tune that played over the fuzzy radio station, impatient for Bella to come back.

I let my head fall back against the seat chair, closing my eyes and letting my mind wander to a place I tried hard to avoid. I told myself everyday—multiple times in the day—that I wasn't going to feel anything for Bella. I _couldn't_ feel anything for her. I had made her a promise, but I knew if I still let my feelings for her take over me I couldn't be the friend she needed. It hurt me even more seeing her pregnant with _his_ baby. Yeah, as much as I told myself I was okay with everything, I definitely was _not_.

At this point, only Sam fully understood how I felt. We had been at odd terms since we all found out about the baby, but after we made amends we kind of understood each other on a different level. He was the only one who understood how it felt to forcefully give up the person you loved the most, but was still reminded of them everyday. At least he got Emily out of it…I had no one.

_Just get a funny looking hat and streamers, and you've got yourself a pity party, Jake._ I shook my head, lifting my head back up and opening my eyes. No, I knew better than to let my mind go that place, because it always ended the same. I was always reminded of how I didn't have _her_ because she was with _him_ and I was alone. Fan-freakin'-tastic.

"God, get over it," I thought out loud, deciding to play with the radio again. I glanced up at the clock: ten minutes now. Why was she taking so long? I thought she said she was just going in and grabbing the blanket. I let out a huff, and decided to shut off the music, leaving myself to the silence. I glared out the open window, angry with myself for being such a pushover. I was desperate for any kind of interaction with Bella at this point, even if it meant I had to be her babysitter. And here I was, now as her chauffer, wallowing in self-pity. I was worse than a girl.

It was silent for a few moments, but then I heard it. Despite being parked across the road while she was in the house, blocked by thick walls, I could hear it as clear as if she were standing next to me. A loud piercing scream came from Bella, and I knew something was wrong. I didn't hesitate, practically taking off the door to my car, running as fast as I could to get to her.

I barreled through the front door, not caring about the damage or how I would explain that to Charlie later on. It didn't matter, _nothing_ mattered—Bella screamed out for help, and I needed to be there to protect her. I flew up the stairs, taking three at a time, but at three paces in front of her door, I heard glass shatter. I charged into her room, but I was not quick enough. I caught a glimpse of black cloaks floating out her window, and I noticed too late that she was gone. Bella was gone…and I was _here_. Not with her.

This was _not_ good.

I felt a shudder through my body as I leaped through the broken window, phasing before I reached the ground. I took off running, and instantly heard Seth's thoughts in my head.

_Jacob? What's going on? Where are you? _His mental voice was panicky, but I didn't have time to consol him.

_Seth, go find the Cullens _now_. I'm on a trail and I can't do it myself. When you find them, phase back so I can lead them to me through you._

Thankfully, he didn't ask any further questions. He took off towards his house, determination feeding his adrenaline rush. _I'll call them, now_, he thought before he phased back into a human. I was glad that no one else was in wolf form at the moment. I wasn't sure I could take anyone else's thoughts.

I wasn't familiar with the vampires' scents, but I knew that whomever I was following now was the same scent I smelled in the car. I tried to follow their trail as quickly as I could, but they were fast. Luckily, I also had Bella's scent to follow. The trail led my through the near-by forest, and headed towards Seattle. I ran as fast as I could, afraid that the trail would die out and I wouldn't know where to go.

After about five minutes, I could hear Seth's mind again. _Okay, I called them. They were headed back anyways, so I'll be meeting with them soon._

_Good. Thanks Seth…when you meet them, let me talk to Edward through your mind, okay?_

_Um…yeah, no problem._

I mentally paused, thinking over what our plan of action was. _That sounds really weird, doesn't it?_

Seth inwardly chuckled. _Yeah, but that's us._

I only kept moving, trying to follow the trail. Seth was silent for the most part, leaving me to my tracking. Within minutes, I could see the Cullen family through Seth's visions.

"What's going on?" Edward demanded from Seth.

_Edward, it's me Jake. Listen, Bella's gone. Someone has taken her…I'm following the trail now._ As I communicated to him, I started to run through a clearing in the woods. Before I finished my train of thought, I realized I lost it…I lost the trail. I could no longer smell the strange vampire or Bella.

"Where are you?" Edward asked me via Seth. I stopped, now glancing all around me, trying to tell him where I was.

_Do you know it? _I thought to Edward.

"Yes. We'll be there soon," was all he said before he took off out of Seth's line of vision.

_Do you want me to come, too?_ Seth asked.

_No. I'll deal with it now. Thanks, though._

_No problem. I'm here if you need anything._

I sighed. What I needed was Bella, but Seth couldn't help with that now, could he? _'Kay thanks._ I slowed down my pace, finding it pointless to run anymore. I had lost the trail and now all I could do was wait for the Cullens. I hated that I had to depend on them, but I knew they could probably follow their own scents better than I could. _He_ was probably going to be angry with me, but that at that point, I didn't blame him.

I started to pace around the area where I had lost the trail, hoping I could somehow pick it back up again. There was something strange lingering in the air, but it wasn't anything distinct enough for me to follow. Soon, however, I could hear and smell the Cullens approaching.

The family blurred into my vision, Edward quite a few paces in front of the rest of the family. He didn't seem angry—he seemed completely blank.

_I was following the trail, but I lost it. I'm sorry, Edward, I just—_

"We can take it from here," Edward clipped, cutting me off. He was completely rigid, his fists tight at his sides. I didn't blame him…I wasn't exactly my biggest fan right now either.

I only nodded, and started to run in the opposite direction. I knew sitting here letting my scent linger would only hurt the search, so I decided to head back to Charlie's house.

When I reached the house, I realized the door was still wide open, barely hanging on to the doorframe. I was glad no one appeared to be around, especially since I was still in my wolf form. I hurried into the house, and phase back. I realized I didn't have any clothes with me, so I ran up to Charlie's room having to borrow something. His clothes were too big in size and too short in length, but it didn't matter much to me. I hurried back to Bella's room, the glass shards littering the floor.

The room reeked of vampire—there must have been at least five of them. I could have kicked myself…how could I have been just a few yards away and not have noticed this? I was too distracted by hating my life; now I hated it even more. What a person I was. I carefully walked around the room, hoping to find something, _anything_, that would tell me where Bella was. I knew it was useless, because I knew I couldn't possibly be that lucky.

She was gone, and I was completely useless.

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**Edward Cullen**

_Edward._ Esme's sad voice whispered in my head, but I couldn't muster enough effort to console her like I knew I should have.

"Not now, Esme," I grumbled as we continued to run forward. When I had left Bella, I had tried my hand at tracking and I knew I was bad at it. But now…now I had a mission. I couldn't afford to be bad at it. My entire existence was at stake.

Bella's deliciously delicate scent could never go unnoticed by me, no matter how much control I had. For once, I was truly glad she smelled the way she did. If she hadn't, I didn't want to think of what kind of situation I would be in. Her scent was mixed with multiple other vampires, and I knew the Volturi had her—there was no doubt. Alice's visions had become reality, but I could not linger on that. I could only focus on finding Bella and Elizabeth, on saving the two most precious people to me.

The scent was headed towards Seattle, and I grew curious as to why the Volturi was headed to a large city. I didn't know exactly what they wanted with her, but I knew it wasn't good. We had made a promise to change her, and with the Volturi no one should _ever_ go back on his or her word. However, we had.

I didn't notice my family around me until I realized I was running with only Emmett and Rosalie behind me. I halted, noticing Alice had stopped yards behind with her eyes blank from a vision.

Slowly, I began to see her vision through her thoughts: Bella on a plane but still pregnant; the ancient town of Volterra; Bella screaming out in pain; the blood-red eyes of a newborn vampire.

I let out a loud growl, unable to hide my pain. Alice quickly shook her head, blinking rapidly. I didn't wait any longer to turn around and continue tracking the Volturi, completely determined to prove Alice wrong.

_Edward, save her. We can't lose them_, Alice pleaded.

I ran even faster now, my feet barely even touching the ground. I could feel the wind rake across me as I closed my eyes and gave myself over completely to my senses. I couldn't have anything holding me back from saving Bella, and that meant giving myself over to the animal inside of me. As much as I despised the monster, he was good at following scents and that was exactly what I needed.

I growled again, only this time it was not out of pain but out of pleasure. I fought so hard for so long against the beast, and he reveled any time he was allowed to be loose. Every scent in the air that flew past me grew a little stronger, while Bella's scent caused the venom to fill my mouth. I knew I was getting closer, because the smell was getting stronger, fresher. The distinct odor of the Volturi, too, was becoming more noticeable. I knew I was getting close when I could hear faint traces of their thoughts.

_I smell something…_. I heard the distant thought, but I couldn't point out the voice in my head. I knew it was one of the guards in the Volturi but it made me nervous. He could already smell us approaching, which meant we would have a very small window of opportunity for a surprise encounter.

I pushed even farther ahead, and I soon noticed we were in a clearing the dense forest. Ahead of me, ran six dark cloaks, with one of the cloaks carrying something…or _someone_.

I was downwind from the Volturi, so when the wind blew in my face, Bella's strong scent filled my nose. _Bella!_ I halted immediately, trying to gather myself together. If I were to save Bella, I couldn't be the monster…I had to find the long gone human inside of me; the human that only came out when I was with Bella.

My family quickly gathered behind me as the dark cloaks halted and slowly began to turn towards us. They had noticed our arrival, and there was no hiding in the wide open clearance.

I recognized Alec, gripping Bella underneath one arm. Her eyes were squeezed shut, but I could see traces of tears that she had been crying. Aro stood in the middle, with his two brothers on either side. Alec stood next to Caius, while Jane and Demitri flanked the outside.

Slowly, Bella's eyes began to open when she must have realized that they had stopped moving. She looked around her, until she locked eyes with me.

"Put. Her. Down," I commanded through gritted teeth. My fists clenched at my sides, fighting every impulse that told me to run directly over to Bella and rip her from Alec's arms.

"You're too late, Edward," Aro spoke as he took a step forward. There was still quite a few yards between each of us, but I felt the space tighten significantly.

"Put. Her. Down, _now_," I repeated, completely ignoring Aro. I didn't care what he said…I was never too late. I _couldn't_ be too late.

If I were too late, that would mean I broke my promise to Bella. That would mean I hadn't protected her. That would mean the end of Bella and Elizabeth…and I just _couldn't _have that. I wouldn't allow it.


	29. When The Deal Goes Down

_AN: I'M ALIIIIIVE! I promise! Unfortunately, my computer had died (R.I.P.) but I have a replacement (we're still gettin' to know each other...)! So, if you were wondering if I just dropped off the face of the earth, I have not. I'm here, and I'm glad to post this! Also, I'm an idiot. This entire time, even before the computer crashed, I thought I had already posted this chapter and the chapter after this...alas, I did not. Thus, me posting it now. Faceplant...I know, I'm a little slow. But here it is! Hope you enjoy the two chapters...the next one is short, but important. Hope everyone is doing well!_

**Disclaimer: Twilight = crack in book form. And Stephenie is my dealer. Yup.**

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**Chapter Twenty-Eight: When The Deal Goes Down**

Alec gripped me tight, so tight I could barely breathe. I began to panic at the effects of what this could have done to Elizabeth, but I knew there was no sense in struggling. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling the wind blowing my hair wildly around me as Alec ran. I couldn't hear much, save for whatever Alec was saying.

Soon, we began to slow down and I could have sworn I heard "they're following us" come from Alec. We stopped, but he didn't let me go—I still was crushed against his side, struggling for a breath. I said a silent prayer that Elizabeth would be okay despite this.

I was afraid of what I was to see if I opened my eyes, but I knew I needed to look. Slowly, I inched my eyes open, surprised at where we were. We stopped in some kind of clearing in a forest; it looked far less sinister than what I had expected. I glanced around until my eyes caught sight of my savior, my angel, my husband. His whole body was rigid, his eyes nearly black even though he had just been hunting. His jaw was tight, as he spoke something I couldn't hear, since I was too far away.

I could hear Aro speak, however. "You're too late, Edward," he said as he moved closer towards Edward.

This time I could hear Edward's words, as the came out like a loud, ripping growl. "Put. Her. Down, _now_."

Although Alec didn't respond to Edward's request, he shifted me in his arms, giving me a chance to stand and stretch out a little. I felt my muscles relax, as the much-needed air quickly rushed into my lungs. Alec's hand still gripped me, tight as ever, as Aro began to speak.

"Do not cross me, Edward. You are no longer a trusted friend of the Volturi, but do not make yourself a full-fledged enemy. I would hate to destroy such an interesting group of vampires."

"Aro," Carlisle spoke up, stepping in front of Edward. I could see Carlisle pat his shoulder, as Edward let him move ahead. "We understand that there was an agreement between us, but as you can tell, things have changed."

Carlisle's honey gold eyes fell on my baby belly, as Aro chuckled. "Oh I am well aware. Which only makes it more difficult for me to understand why you fight so hard to save this human." Aro's head shifted, this time directed towards Edward. "She obviously wasn't faithful to you."

I shot Edward a pleading look, praying he wouldn't say a word. They couldn't know…if they knew about Liz, they would want her too, and I couldn't risk it. They _had_ to believe she was only human. I shook my head ever so slightly, trying to communicate as much as I could through expression alone.

"She even admitted to me about her tryst with another man…I must say, Edward, you were awfully kind in forgiving her and accepting the child as your own." Aro sighed longingly. "If only it were possible that the child actually was yours…now _that's_ something I would definitely be interested in. Alas, the child is only human. A bastard, but a human."

Edward growled at Aro's words. _Please, please, please, don't say anything_, I chanted to myself. Let him think Liz is human…

Edward glanced at me and back at Aro. "Bella's only human. She's allowed to make mistakes," Edward said through his teeth. "And the child is not a bastard. For all intents and purposes, she's _mine_."

_YES! He understood! _I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding in, and silently thanked my husband a million times over.

Aro chuckled. The sound sent shivers down my body. "So I've heard. Won't that be a bit difficult to explain?" he asked, more to himself than to Edward. "Nevertheless, Bella is ours. You broke your promise. You went back on your word, and I have no other reason to trust you."

"No!" Edward shouted. "Please, after the birth, we'll turn her. Just let her go. Please…"

It pained me to see Edward begging as he did. I had never really seen him so desperate before, and it cut into me. I wanted to stop his pain. I wanted him to be happy again. I wanted so much, but I was afraid my wants didn't matter anymore. My fate was obviously out of my hands…or was it?

I knew the Volturi wanted to change me and use me as a part of their guard. There was nothing stopping them from doing it now. They could kill my baby and turn me and there would be no loss for them. But what if they had a reason to not kill my baby? What if I was going about this the wrong way? If they _did_ know about Lizzie…if they realized how special she was, maybe they would wait. Maybe I could buy some time. I had to do something; I couldn't just sit back and be helpless. It was my responsibility to take care of my child—to do _anything_ for my child—and I would.

Aro had already turned his back on Edward. He nodded to Jane, and I could barely hear him say, "Kill them."

Jane immediately focused her attention on Edward, and a loud cry came from the lips of my beloved. He crumpled to the ground, wriggling in pain. He scratched and clawed his arms, trying to find release from the suffering Jane was causing him, but she wouldn't let up. I had to act now.

"NO! Wait!" I yelled over his screams. Immediately, Aro's eyes flew over to mine. "Make her stop! Wait! I can give you something you want! Make it stop!" I shouted, while new tears rolled down my cheeks. Alec's grip on my arms grew even tighter, pulling me back from Edward.

"Jane," Aro said casually, "let off." He focused back on me, but all my attention was focused on Edward. He stopped clawing, and slowly moved to stand. I could tell his whole body was shaking, and he moaned loudly.

"Bella, I don't like to be toyed with," Aro said sternly.

"I'm serious. Before I explain anything to you, promise me you won't hurt my family. Swear it," I demanded.

Aro chuckled. "You're in no position to make demands. What makes you think you deserve any kind of promise from us, when you have not kept your own?"

"You never said _when_ I needed to be changed, just that I had to be. Our plans…shifted, due to the pregnancy, but I _will_ be turned. Now, do you want to hear what I have to offer or no?" I set my face as seriously as possible. I couldn't let any emotions betray me during this.

Aro sighed. "Fine, I promise you, your family will not be hurt…for now. That's the best I can offer. Now what can _you_ offer?"

I hesitated, ever so slightly. This was it—if I told them what Lizzie was, there was no turning back. I looked over at Edward, who stared at me with pain in his eyes. I mouthed, "I'm sorry" to him, and focused my attention back to Aro. "You're wrong. The baby…she's _his_," I said, pointing my finger to Edward.

"Bella, no!" Edward shouted. He must have caught on to what I was about to do.

"No, Edward. This is my choice," I said calmly. I maintained my eye contact with Aro. "She's special…she's not just a human."

Aro's face softened. He arched one black eyebrow while he spoke. "You mean…she's what? A _vampire_?" He said the word as if it were a new concept.

I nodded while I heard Edward softly pleading with me. "She's half human, half vampire. The first of her kind."

"Fascinating," Aro mumbled. He scratched his chin, deep in thought.

"I don't like the sound of this, Aro. She's lying," Caius accused.

I shot him a stern look. "I'm not lying. If there were a way to prove it, I would."

"Hmm," was all Aro said. "There is a way." He turned and almost floated towards Edward. He stretched out his hand, obviously waiting for contact so he could see Edward's history.

"No, I'm not doing this. She _is_ lying, the child is human…only human," Edward practically sobbed. He looked back over at me, and I swear if he could have cried he would have.

I looked deep into his eyes. I knew he was trying his hardest to protect Liz, but pretending that she was human wasn't going to work. The Volturi needed a reason to keep her alive, to keep her inside of me. If they didn't…well, if they didn't, there was nothing to stop them from killing the child. "Edward, give him your hand," I spoke.

His eyes wavered, trying to read me, but it was no use. He didn't understand what I was trying to accomplish. "No!" he yelled again as he backed up from Aro.

"Here," Alice said. She stepped up from behind Jasper, her hand extended out towards Aro. She looked over at me and nodded. She must have seen my plan! I nodded back to her, recognizing that she understood.

"Alice, no!" Edward said as he tried to pull her back. She shoved him off her, and grabbed Aro's hand.

Aro closed his eyes; soaking up everything Alice was showing him. I prayed that he wouldn't see my plan in Alice's visions, because if he did there was no saving us. After a few moments, Aro smiled and opened his eyes to look down at Alice.

"Thank you. You have an interesting mind," Aro said as he dropped her hand. She stepped back to where she had been before, while Edward looked like he was going to lose all control.

Aro turned around to look at me, while I still struggled in Alec's arms. "Let her go," he nodded to Alec. Slowly, the cold hands unwrapped themselves from my arms, releasing me. I stepped forward and shook out my arms. I was definitely going to have bruises. "What do you offer?"

"My services, and when she's old enough, my child's services. You and I both know you can't afford to lose either of us, so I'm offering us, in exchange for something else."

"And what is that?"

I paused, trying to form my thoughts. I couldn't leave anything out in our negotiations. If I did, disaster could be a result. "You allow me to carry to full term, here in Forks. _I_ will be the caretaker of my child, and no one else. You will never—and I mean _never_, regardless of how many more centuries you live—bother my family again. This includes all of the Cullens, as well as my human family. In fact, _all_ of you will never step foot in America again." I paused again, running through what I had just said. Had I forgot something? I prayed the answer was no.

Aro thought over these conditions for a moment, and then smiled. "Those demands are reasonable enough. I guess in exchange for you and your child, many things would be considered reasonable enough."

"I have one more demand. Let me live with my family until the birth. Then…then you can take us."

"How will we know you won't try something on us?" Jane questioned. She snarled at me, while her black-burgundy eyes blazed.

I narrowed my eyes. "I won't. There's too much at risk."

Aro nodded, obviously agreeing to my last condition. "Too much, indeed. All right, you can live with the Cullen family. However, we will be watching _very_ closely. For your sake, I pray you don't try anything—it won't turn out good."

"I won't," I answered.

Aro sighed. He waved his hand back towards my family. "Go," he responded quietly. I moved as quickly as I possibly could towards Edward, but my feet didn't move fast enough. Edward was at my side in an instant, picking me up and carrying me back over to the rest of the family.

Aro had turned around, while the rest of the Volturi gathered behind him. "We'll be staying in America, until you give birth. After that, you will come with us, along with your child."

"We'll be sure to send a birth announcement," Emmett growled. The family had formed a protective half-circle around me, shielding me from seeing the Volturi take off. I had no idea where they were going, and I didn't want to know. All I knew is we had two short months to figure out how to destroy the Volturi, before they destroyed us.


	30. Borrowed Time

_AN: I just realized, I made a minor mistake in my story. It's been awhile since I've read the Twilight series, so I got Felix and Alec mixed up. Not necessarily who they were, just their names...so earlier, whenever I mentioned "Alec" I meant "Felix." I guess I could go back and fix it...OR you could just read this and mentally fix it. I think that works for me. =)_

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**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Borrowed Time**

We were back at the house, all gathered in the living room. Esme and Rosalie sat on the couch; Carlisle was perched on the arm of the sofa, while the rest of us stood.

"What the _hell_ were you thinking?" Edward shouted. He was pacing back and forth, running his fingers through his hair. He stopped in front of me, anger raging in his eyes. He breathed heavily, while his hands were balled into fists at his sides. "What were you thinking, Bella?"

"I was thinking of saving our child, Edward," I spat out. My stance reflected his—we were both angry and tense. Edward thought I had just sold our only child and myself to the Volturi, but he didn't know I had a plan.

"Saving Liz is _not_ giving yourself to the Volturi, Bella. I can't even—"

"Edward Cullen, calm down. She's got a plan," Alice said. I had never heard her voice so serious and commanding before. She was glaring daggers at Edward as he turned his head to face Alice. Shock was registered on his face. Apparently I wasn't the only one that was surprised by Alice's tone. Alice looked beyond Edward towards me. "Explain, Bella."

Edward looked back at me, this time with confusion. I inhaled. "I lied. I told them I was seven months along."

There was a pause among all of us, until Carlisle stood up. "You just bought us an extra month," he said surprised.

Edward's confused expression deepened. "Why did you lie?"

"I don't know," I answered truthfully. "I just told myself that the Volturi should know as least as possible."

Edward shoved his fingers through his hair again, trying to collect his thoughts. "So what now? What do we do?"

Before I began, I looked at Alice. She nodded, encouragingly, and I knew my plan was going to work—it had to work. There was no other option. I looked back up at Edward. "I'll be giving birth in a month, then…then you change me. As soon as possible, you'll change me and I can help."

"Bella," Edward dropped his voice while he gently wrapped his hands around my shoulders. His head inched closer towards mine as his eyes stared at me with intensity. "I can't allow you to fight against them. I can't risk losing you."

"You know I'll be stronger than all of you at that point, Edward. Why _wouldn't_ I fight with you? Let's face it—you need me, and you need me as a newborn. Any other way, I'm just a liability."

His grip grew a little tighter on my arm, but I could still see the restraint in his eyes. He knew I was right, and I think he hated that. "What about Liz?"

I raised my eyebrows. "What about her?"

"If I change you right after you give birth, you won't be able to be around her for awhile. You won't be able to enjoy it…"

"Edward, I wouldn't be able to enjoy it regardless, what with the vampire brigade breathing down our necks."

He let out a small snort as I rolled my eyes, understanding now that he had ran out of arguments against my plan. He pulled me forward into his arms, wrapping himself around me. I closed my eyes and let my head rest against his solid chest, grateful for the small escape.

"I know, Alice," Edward mumbled in my hair, obviously a response to something thought by Alice.

"So don't worry. You've married a smart woman—she knows what she's doing," Alice retorted.

I smiled to myself as Edward reluctantly let me go, his body and eyes looking resigned. I stretched on my tiptoes and combed down a stray hair of his. "Can't we just wait, somehow? We don't have to do it right after you have Liz…."

"Yes I do. We're on borrowed time, here. I can't risk them checking in on us and seeing that I've had Liz and I'm not able to protect her." Our eyes met, and it hurt me a little to see how he wanted another choice so desperately. Here was one of the few times I wish he could have read my mind—maybe then he could see how confident I felt about the plan.

Swiftly, he yanked me back into his arms, hugging me a little tighter than before. He bent his head down, resting his lips on my shoulder. "We can protect her, Bella. We'll keep her safe, and I'll keep you safe, and we can just wait. You know how I feel about this…I never wanted you to feel like you _had_ to be turned. I hate this…."

"Edward?" I spoke up, getting his attention. He lifted his smooth, marble face up to look at me, and I ran my hand down his cheek. "I know in my heart this will work. Every fiber of my being is screaming at me that this will work…this might be the only option, but it's the _right_ option. I know it's risky and I know you hate leaving things to fate like this. Let's be honest," I said with a sad smile, "you like to control a lot of the things around you, but this is one thing that's out of your control. You just…you just have to trust me, okay?"

Edward's head fell back onto my shoulder, and I was worried that my little speech had no effect on his morale. "I trust you with everything I am," he eventually whispered into my skin. Edward slowly, hesitantly lifted his face back up, and a sad but soft smile appeared on my face. The perfection of my broken angel was staring back at me, trusting me with everything that he was, just as I trusted him with everything I was. He lowered his head, letting his forehead press against mine, his cold skin leaving an impression against my own.


End file.
